OSNews Asks: What Is your Most Likely Apocalyptic Scenario?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 9th Aug 2010 10:47 UTC
Humor Now that I'm done with my internship and ready to take on OSNews again, I figured it'd be nice to start off with something light-hearted. I just read that Google bought an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a camera, ready to photograph whatever it flies across. We may consider Google's biggest threat to be privacy, but with all this computing power they have, their Street View cars, and now, unmanned flying drones, they look more and more like SkyNet to me. So, what's your most likely apocalyptic scenario?
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Most likely, or most interesting?
by WereCatf on Mon 9th Aug 2010 11:07 UTC
WereCatf
Member since:
2006-02-15

I don't know about most likely doomsday scenario, but I've always been deeply intrigued by zombies and (eventual?) zombie invasions. As such I've put quite a lot of thought into this thing.

First, I'd scour for a long, blunt weapon, heavy enough to cause a big kinetic impact and thus smack the zombie back a bit, but not too heavy for me to wield well. No knives or swords or such as they just do flesh-wounds and minimal kinetic impact, and as we all know, zombies don't really care about wounds. It's better to be able to keep them at a distance than to be able slice them and get eaten.

Secondly, I'd head straight for nearest hospital or apothecary and get heaps of common antibiotics, antiseptics etc. They will sooner or later save your life.

Third, I'd head out to some clothing shop with leather items. Leather is very tough material, not easy to break or get through, and as such cutting up some heavy leather jacket and wrapping around arms and legs would provide quite good protection. Especially arms and legs below knee are important to protect as those areas will be easy to zombies to reach.

Fourth: Find a secure location, preferably a warehouse or similar with fortified windows and strong metal doors. Won't be easy getting in there, damn those zombies!

Fifth: Travel only during daytime, always protect your eyes and mouth with something, for example a welding mask is quite good for temporary protection and then a motorcycle helmet or similar for less-temporary one.

Sixth: Find a portable generator somewhere, scour for gasoline, get a large car with lots of room beneath the car so you can get over obstacles if necessary. If possible, get two or three of everything so you always have a spare if something breaks!

Reply Score: 7

M.Onty Member since:
2009-10-23

If possible, get two or three of everything so you always have a spare if something breaks!


Quite right. I, personally, would have a main warehouse somewhere near Reading, an apartment warehouse near the Square Mile for business trips and a nice country warehouse in Cornwall for the long, globally warmed English summers. No, make that Somerset, next to a cider press warehouse.

Reply Parent Score: 2

lemur2 Member since:
2007-02-17

First, I'd scour for a long, blunt weapon, heavy enough to cause a big kinetic impact and thus smack the zombie back a bit, but not too heavy for me to wield well. No knives or swords or such as they just do flesh-wounds and minimal kinetic impact, and as we all know, zombies don't really care about wounds. It's better to be able to keep them at a distance than to be able slice them and get eaten.


That is a mace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mace_%28club%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_star_%28weapon%29

But what do we use as munition, A friend knows somebody who said he once saw a bullet, but I don't know if that's true


Some other candidates (technology supportable after breakdown of civilization) for one's anti-zombie arsenal:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollaxe_%28polearm%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_hammer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunchucks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throwing_axe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk_%28axe%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle-axe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_fork

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_%28weapon%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingshot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flail_%28weapon%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_bat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera_%28spear-thrower%29

Rete
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retiarius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onager_%28siege_weapon%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossbow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet

http://www.supertrebs.com/History.html

Who needs munition?

Edited 2010-08-09 13:10 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 2

futurefarmer Member since:
2008-03-19

Don't forget the Aztec weapon, the fearsome atlatl:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlatl" http://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Reply Parent Score: 1

Tuishimi Member since:
2005-07-06

As such I've put quite a lot of thought into this thing.

I don't know why but this does not surprise me! ;)

Reply Parent Score: 2

xiaokj Member since:
2005-06-30

Third, I'd head out to some clothing shop with leather items. Leather is very tough material, not easy to break or get through, and as such cutting up some heavy leather jacket and wrapping around arms and legs would provide quite good protection. Especially arms and legs below knee are important to protect as those areas will be easy to zombies to reach.

+1: leather is edible.

I would rather build a tesla coil and tune it to the natural frequency of the Earth and charge up the Earth itself with AC resonating strong enough to take out the entire Earth's power supply. No form of intelligent life will threaten to attack me then -- I would protect my installation with a Faraday cage and that tesla coil would attack everything else that comes close.

There are tales of St. Elmo's fire out in the lawn I don't know how long in radius from Tesla's own laboratory when he did that stunt. Widespread power outage when he turned off his contraption to answer the door -- the police were trying to notify him of the weird phenomenon.

Reply Parent Score: 1

Zifre Member since:
2009-10-04

Secondly, I'd head straight for nearest hospital or apothecary and get heaps of common antibiotics, antiseptics etc. They will sooner or later save your life.

You would probably want to take lots and lots of hydrogen peroxide. It is very useful both as an antiseptic and for synthesis of a number of useful chemicals.

One use would be for grenades. Mix acetone (which can be found in many household products such as nail polish remover) and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a strong acid (I would use sulfuric acid from a car battery) to make triacetone triperoxide, a high explosive. Then blow the zombies into smithereens. ;)

Reply Parent Score: 2

fukudasan Member since:
2006-06-04

As a published analytical chemist, I recommend acid bleach (sodium chlorate(I) solution) for pretty much anything peroxide-related. Not only is it a powerful enough oxidant (probably) to cause explosions a la peroxide, liberal sloshing over infectable surfaces will prevent many diseases you might need antibiotics for lol!

Gets organic crud from inside e.g. coffee machines and leaves them shining, too . . .

Reply Parent Score: 1

sbenitezb Member since:
2005-07-22

Better not to fight them. I would get as many provisions I could, a motorcycle and go live middle of nowhere.

Reply Parent Score: 2