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Olliroxx
Olliroxx
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The world ends tomorrow, you can't stop it and you will die. You can, however, put information on a hard drive(s). What information has the best ratio of "days until world back to pre apocalypse state" reduction per gigabyte?

General assumptions:

  • The largest amount of data that can be used is 10TB (raw, compression will probably increase this), and it is transferred immediately (internet speed is not a limitation)
  • The hard drive(s) are found, intact and readable (this includes language, electricity and a windows machine) by the finder.
  • Most of humanity dies, but everything else is intact (except for things that need active maintenance from humans, for obvious reasons).
  • The person who finds the hard drive is part of a group of 150 survivors who all have the goal of "resetting" the world.
  • The most technically competent person in the 150 survivors has started programming/used the command line a couple of times/installed linux/will be able to find and read a README or similar

"pre apocalypse state" can be measured as:

  • Research is taking place (and common) that would not be out of place/receive grants/published in journals if it happened today.
  • Global supply chains and infrastructure are restored (I can buy a phone that can call someone on the other side of the planet and tell me my position to the nearest 5m)

EDIT: A better phrasing/version of the question would be "How does the best knowledge change with starting population/education levels?"

The world ends tomorrow, you can't stop it and you will die. You can, however, put information on a hard drive(s). What information has the best ratio of "days until world back to pre apocalypse state" reduction per gigabyte?

General assumptions:

  • The largest amount of data that can be used is 10TB (raw, compression will probably increase this), and it is transferred immediately (internet speed is not a limitation)
  • The hard drive(s) are found, intact and readable (this includes language, electricity and a windows machine) by the finder.
  • Most of humanity dies, but everything else is intact (except for things that need active maintenance from humans, for obvious reasons).
  • The person who finds the hard drive is part of a group of 150 survivors who all have the goal of "resetting" the world.
  • The most technically competent person in the 150 survivors has started programming/used the command line a couple of times/installed linux/will be able to find and read a README or similar

"pre apocalypse state" can be measured as:

  • Research is taking place (and common) that would not be out of place/receive grants/published in journals if it happened today.
  • Global supply chains and infrastructure are restored (I can buy a phone that can call someone on the other side of the planet and tell me my position to the nearest 5m)

The world ends tomorrow, you can't stop it and you will die. You can, however, put information on a hard drive(s). What information has the best ratio of "days until world back to pre apocalypse state" reduction per gigabyte?

General assumptions:

  • The largest amount of data that can be used is 10TB (raw, compression will probably increase this), and it is transferred immediately (internet speed is not a limitation)
  • The hard drive(s) are found, intact and readable (this includes language, electricity and a windows machine) by the finder.
  • Most of humanity dies, but everything else is intact (except for things that need active maintenance from humans, for obvious reasons).
  • The person who finds the hard drive is part of a group of 150 survivors who all have the goal of "resetting" the world.
  • The most technically competent person in the 150 survivors has started programming/used the command line a couple of times/installed linux/will be able to find and read a README or similar

"pre apocalypse state" can be measured as:

  • Research is taking place (and common) that would not be out of place/receive grants/published in journals if it happened today.
  • Global supply chains and infrastructure are restored (I can buy a phone that can call someone on the other side of the planet and tell me my position to the nearest 5m)

EDIT: A better phrasing/version of the question would be "How does the best knowledge change with starting population/education levels?"

Source Link
Olliroxx
Olliroxx
  • 376
  • 2
  • 8

What is the most useful information to recover from an apocalypse?

The world ends tomorrow, you can't stop it and you will die. You can, however, put information on a hard drive(s). What information has the best ratio of "days until world back to pre apocalypse state" reduction per gigabyte?

General assumptions:

  • The largest amount of data that can be used is 10TB (raw, compression will probably increase this), and it is transferred immediately (internet speed is not a limitation)
  • The hard drive(s) are found, intact and readable (this includes language, electricity and a windows machine) by the finder.
  • Most of humanity dies, but everything else is intact (except for things that need active maintenance from humans, for obvious reasons).
  • The person who finds the hard drive is part of a group of 150 survivors who all have the goal of "resetting" the world.
  • The most technically competent person in the 150 survivors has started programming/used the command line a couple of times/installed linux/will be able to find and read a README or similar

"pre apocalypse state" can be measured as:

  • Research is taking place (and common) that would not be out of place/receive grants/published in journals if it happened today.
  • Global supply chains and infrastructure are restored (I can buy a phone that can call someone on the other side of the planet and tell me my position to the nearest 5m)