[Spenser]

If all goes bad the remaining 10% that survives will be living in the 1600's. If they are lucky. Is that life worth living??

Those so called 'percentages" are not accurate representations of the total population loss. There are infinite variables at play here, to the point where even gravity comes into the formulas, not to mention there isn't a person smart enough on this planet to do the calculations. Areas in between mountains for example of a much higher chance of not being affected for example.

I digress, living as our ancestors have back in the 1600's, 1800's, etc. was the only means of living that they knew. If you are saying that we as humanity would not be able to strive being brought back to that time period's way of life, well I guess some would indeed be rather lost, but I think as a whole humanity would still strive.

If on the other hand you are saying that on top of being brought back to a 1600's way of life that humanity is also facing the fallout of a Russian Nuclear Winter, a decimation of wildlife, aquatic life, and plant life, along with massive degradation of our bio-sphere/ozone layer , then yea I see no pleasure in living in that scenario while also fighting vs. our rivals like a Mad Max movie.

There's a lot of 'modern' knowledge that exists today that didn't back in those days. Just our knowing these things is a big plus. For instance, I remember a movie (Jericho?) where nukes took out all electronics, so people resorted to converting older automobiles to run on steam engines.

That wasn't a movie but a mini-series, and yes the name of the TV series was Jericho. I think later one of the actors played in a movie called Traitors, the guy from Jericho that had a nuke buried in his basement.

Ok but the part you mentioned about what knowledge we are aware of today.

This is where things get interesting. Having the knowledge, having the means, & having the resources are 3 separate animals.

I will use the dye shortage that hospitals still are facing for use of contrast for X-rays and Cat scans. We have the knowledge, the means, but are lacking the resources, ie. the 'dye'. It is kind of like the holy trinity, as in our case we need all 3 for things to function.

Let's use a car for another example, there are about 6,000 parts used to build a car (this number varies with having luxury additions), a company could outsource up to 80+%. Finding a part would be extremely difficult, no internet, no computer inventory locator, no means of calling a store to see if it is in stock. Some parts could be fabricated by yourself, but other parts like a spark plug would be out of a majority of people's ability to make, & this isn't even mentioning acquiring gasoline.



I should note, diesel , manual stick shift engines would be op due to not needing a battery to start the vehicle, and they are easier to fix than an automatic.

The knowledge we have is only valuable to us if we have the means and resources.

 

[Spenser]

And some means and resources will survive. Discounting ONE example is not representative of all of them. I'll wager that we'll still be using modern firearms and not resorting to muskets and bow & arrows. Yes, sourcing gun parts and ammo will be more difficult, but there will be those who have the knowledge to make it happen. Gunsmithing and reloading aren't 21st-century inventions.

We know about modern communications. Crafting a simple telephone is stupid-easy. Two phones, a resistor and a 9 volt battery and you've got an intercom. I agree it ain't the internet but such a simple system has a huge number of uses.

I could go on, but I'm sure you're already typing a scathing retort, so carry on.

Was raised with bows n arrows, though prefer crossbows, even over a rifle, but that is only my personal preference, and not for any advantage/disadvantage sake.

I agree, that most likely in that scenario that we would still have firearms, least for a stint. Being a former lathe worker, I can say that making parts would not be an issue, nor the ammo, as long as one picks up the casing, only pain would be the making the powder, and making the primer, the last one being why I said for a stint. I have seen ways to make a primer using strike anywhere matches, but eventually making a primer will be problematic (think it takes like 8-10 matches to make 1 primer for 1 casing/bullet.)

I have made telephones from scratch, along with radios and other electronic devices; you didn't make a telephone, but an intercom. On the other hand, making a telegraph can be easily done, just my morse code is beyond rusty.

I think walkie talkies would be more useful for communication to family and friends, HAM for those further away.

Interesting concept though, and a major life change from most of our current lives.

 

[Spenser]

In 1970's rural Arkansas, she still had to face wild animals and freezing temperatures just to go pee by the light of a kerosene lantern because they didn't have power going out to the outhouse

That was our life in the Catskill Mountains, no electricity, nor running water, and a frigidly cold outhouse during the winter- time. We had kerosene lamps for the cabin, but for going to the outhouse we used a portable candle holder with glass wind protector. I would never risk carrying a lamp there going up that mountain to get to an outhouse.

Damn, I just gave myself a shiver reminiscing about that one brutally cold night in December during that snow storm traveling to the johnny.

 

[Spenser]

If there's a huge 90% event, we're going to be dealing with shituations we never imagined. (spelling error intended)

agreed, NYC for example at 10% is still close to 1 million people venturing in all directions.

I think though most of us are missing the bigger picture in this scenario.
____
COFFEE

 

[Spenser]

Now, Dr. Pry may not be as informed as some of you, but I think he did a pretty damn good job presenting facts and predictions.

I am aware of the belated Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, and the many boards, programs, books, and documentaries based on his assessments. The problem that I have is that his doctorates are in History and 2nd is in International Relations. It is kind of like that movie "The Fly" a guy using the "Black Box" method using other people's genius innovations to create his own work.

He is not a Nuclear Physicist, Biochemist, Mathematician, or a Structural Engineer, along with a few other course degrees to properly assess and formulate the report he gave to congress.

With his security clearances, I am sure that he is far more informed than someone like me, although I seriously doubt his IQ is anywhere close to mine, point being, he is not the guy that I would trust to "guess" how many people would survive his scenarios.

I had an uncle that worked on a classified gov project ( actually I have several uncles that have, but chose this one for this story). He couldn't tell us Jack [email protected]#$ about what he was working on in Los Alamos, and his background was in adv mathematics & engineering, but what he could tell us about is his first day at the base with the head scientist working on the project.

The head scientist came in a couple of weeks prior to discuss what the team members job's entail, and about the project everyone was going to be working on. My uncle said that the scientist spoke for 4 hours that day, and it took my uncle the next two weeks to fully understand the project and his role in it, so in short 2 weeks to unravel what the hell that brilliant scientist's four hour lecture was about (ok those of us that know about Los Alamos knows this guy was a Physicist )

Dr Peter Pry was NOT that guy, and not even my uncle either...