Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Apocalypse, NAO!
Yeah, after that last post I found a bunch of books the US GOVERNMENT wrote on the effects of nuclear blasts and survival guides on nuclear, chemical, or biological attacks.
I must AQUIRE them.
Here's my post-apocalyptic survival book list (Take note, I haven't actually read any of them yet, but as I get to them, I'll review them... since you know, I live in a nuclear wasteland and can test the practicality of each book.):
I must AQUIRE them.
Here's my post-apocalyptic survival book list (Take note, I haven't actually read any of them yet, but as I get to them, I'll review them... since you know, I live in a nuclear wasteland and can test the practicality of each book.):
- U.S. Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological And Chemical Survival Manual, by Dick Couch
- Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis, by Peggy Layton
- Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival, by Jack Spigarelli
- How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times, by James Wesley Rawles
- Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons, by the Committee on the Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons and the National Research Council
- The effects on humans of world-wide stratospheric fallout from a nuclear war and from nuclear tests by Charles Shapiro
- NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL MANUAL, PROTECTION IN THE NUCLEAR AGE by FEMA
- Nuclear Emergency: How to Protect Your Family from Nuclear Radiation, Fallout and Terrorism by Ken Larson
PFFFFT.
There's like a billion more, but really, unless you have a specialty in nuclear science and live near a well stocked bomb shelter, you're pretty much done for.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Apocalypse NOW!
Not that I've seen the movie.
But I need to find more books on post-apocalyptic scenarios!
They tend to be very good... You know, all two of the ones I've read (The Road, and Z is for Zachariah). But post apocalyptic movies, which I've seen more of comparatively, tend to be interesting at worst, although typically stupid regardless. I can't properly enjoy them without some scientific explanation. A good, thorough scientific explanation as to why everyone, but (this guy) and (this guy) and maybe (these people), are still alive, and why the hell everyone is suddenly remarkably dangerous. And by "good" I mean scientifically plausible. This thing should be comparable to The Zombie Survival Guide. Maybe the chance that either of those scenarios would actually happen is nil, I would still like to lay in comfort knowing that I may be prepared.
That's a half joke though, I think stories become really really amazing when they allow the laws of the natural world to limit their creativity. I believe that under pressure, an artist can make something really really amazing. They're usually lackadaisical and tend to require a considerable amount of prodding and threatening to make anything worthwhile. The shackles of the scientific world are definitely good at that, but an artist would also instantly gain my respect if they too respected the laws of nature by doing intensive research on the subject matter.
Like a Nuclear Winter. [It's a proper noun now.]
It seems like Metro 2033 is the only book I know of where the majority of people retain at least some form of civility. Besides the Fallout video game series [which is possibly a book series], but a video game without safe places or allies would seem boring to me, so its fine in that department, although Fallout has major problems in other areas.
For example, I've seen Blast From the Past about a dozen times at least, and I'm pretty sure Christopher Walken mentioned that nuclear fallout usually dissipates after 30 yeeaars... after 200 years either everything that ever was should be gone [cram, sugar bombs, nuka-cola (basically all food manufactured prior to bombing), Rivet City(especially)] or people should have their shit together already.
And if Moriarity and Tenpenny could cross the atlantic all the way from the UK to D.C. [which implies that at least some vehicles work] I think things are going pretty well everywhere else.
You know what, none of this matters, I'm just bored and I'm craving another post-apocalyptic book to read.
But I need to find more books on post-apocalyptic scenarios!
They tend to be very good... You know, all two of the ones I've read (The Road, and Z is for Zachariah). But post apocalyptic movies, which I've seen more of comparatively, tend to be interesting at worst, although typically stupid regardless. I can't properly enjoy them without some scientific explanation. A good, thorough scientific explanation as to why everyone, but (this guy) and (this guy) and maybe (these people), are still alive, and why the hell everyone is suddenly remarkably dangerous. And by "good" I mean scientifically plausible. This thing should be comparable to The Zombie Survival Guide. Maybe the chance that either of those scenarios would actually happen is nil, I would still like to lay in comfort knowing that I may be prepared.
That's a half joke though, I think stories become really really amazing when they allow the laws of the natural world to limit their creativity. I believe that under pressure, an artist can make something really really amazing. They're usually lackadaisical and tend to require a considerable amount of prodding and threatening to make anything worthwhile. The shackles of the scientific world are definitely good at that, but an artist would also instantly gain my respect if they too respected the laws of nature by doing intensive research on the subject matter.
Like a Nuclear Winter. [It's a proper noun now.]
It seems like Metro 2033 is the only book I know of where the majority of people retain at least some form of civility. Besides the Fallout video game series [which is possibly a book series], but a video game without safe places or allies would seem boring to me, so its fine in that department, although Fallout has major problems in other areas.
For example, I've seen Blast From the Past about a dozen times at least, and I'm pretty sure Christopher Walken mentioned that nuclear fallout usually dissipates after 30 yeeaars... after 200 years either everything that ever was should be gone [cram, sugar bombs, nuka-cola (basically all food manufactured prior to bombing), Rivet City(especially)] or people should have their shit together already.
And if Moriarity and Tenpenny could cross the atlantic all the way from the UK to D.C. [which implies that at least some vehicles work] I think things are going pretty well everywhere else.
You know what, none of this matters, I'm just bored and I'm craving another post-apocalyptic book to read.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Communist Melk and The Chocolate Manifesto
Is what I'd like my band name to be... if I were musically talented.
Why Communist Melk and The Chocolate Manifesto? Well for one, it would actually be spelled "Milk" considering I'm not from the mid-west, but I like spelling things the way they [sometimes] sound. Taylor and I like to use the term CM = Chocolate Milk. You know, CM in the QC [Queen City]. It's cute, don't judge. But the other day I finally got around to reading the Communist Manifesto for my History of Modern Germany class. Not that Taylor was bugging me, but usually one takes at least moderate interest in what their significant other is interested in. And guess what, I enjoyed it.
This piece makes you wanna get up and fight. If you haven't read it already, go ahead and do so, because I don't think one can grasp the true concept of "revolution" until you read something like this:
"The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. "
It's some pretty heavy stuff, but even if you're totally against it, it's important to know what the people who are going to overthrow you truly stand for.
That was a half joke. Considering I only know one communist. Maybe two, but you can never be too sure with those Reds.
So, am I a communist? I'm not sure. I'd feel uncomfortable just saying that considering I haven't read anything else by Marx OR Engles, and I have a strong personal belief that you shouldn't put yourself behind anything you don't know enough about. So although I like a lot of socialist/ communist concepts I still consider myself moderate. But I'm definitely against Capitalism. I guess I can talk about why in a later post. I'm technically at work, and technically supposed to be working.
I'm also tired of people saying, "It looks good on paper, but it could never work IRL." I just wanna say: "First of all, how do you know that? Greed afflicts every kind of political/social system, nothing is ever exempt from human error." But it predominantly bothers me because it implies that humans are incapable of accomplishing anything that requires us to share with one another. I abhor the thought that we can't rise above greed and laziness.
If you haven't made the connection already, Chocolate Milk and the Communist Manifesto have the same initials. inspiring.
Here's the Communist Manifesto for whoever is interested in learning for the sake of learning.
Why Communist Melk and The Chocolate Manifesto? Well for one, it would actually be spelled "Milk" considering I'm not from the mid-west, but I like spelling things the way they [sometimes] sound. Taylor and I like to use the term CM = Chocolate Milk. You know, CM in the QC [Queen City]. It's cute, don't judge. But the other day I finally got around to reading the Communist Manifesto for my History of Modern Germany class. Not that Taylor was bugging me, but usually one takes at least moderate interest in what their significant other is interested in. And guess what, I enjoyed it.
This piece makes you wanna get up and fight. If you haven't read it already, go ahead and do so, because I don't think one can grasp the true concept of "revolution" until you read something like this:
"The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. "
It's some pretty heavy stuff, but even if you're totally against it, it's important to know what the people who are going to overthrow you truly stand for.
That was a half joke. Considering I only know one communist. Maybe two, but you can never be too sure with those Reds.
So, am I a communist? I'm not sure. I'd feel uncomfortable just saying that considering I haven't read anything else by Marx OR Engles, and I have a strong personal belief that you shouldn't put yourself behind anything you don't know enough about. So although I like a lot of socialist/ communist concepts I still consider myself moderate. But I'm definitely against Capitalism. I guess I can talk about why in a later post. I'm technically at work, and technically supposed to be working.
I'm also tired of people saying, "It looks good on paper, but it could never work IRL." I just wanna say: "First of all, how do you know that? Greed afflicts every kind of political/social system, nothing is ever exempt from human error." But it predominantly bothers me because it implies that humans are incapable of accomplishing anything that requires us to share with one another. I abhor the thought that we can't rise above greed and laziness.
If you haven't made the connection already, Chocolate Milk and the Communist Manifesto have the same initials. inspiring.
Here's the Communist Manifesto for whoever is interested in learning for the sake of learning.
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