Chuck Klostermann's HYPERtheticals

[Squirrel]

Does that mean I'm the best off?

Maybe, unless van is prophetic and he stopped at 20 years for a reason ... like the world ending, or it just goes downhill after that.

[Vanimal46]

Well that's good, I just didn't want him to dig himself too deep a hole.

I'm 25 about to be 26 this May... Trying to be conservative that I can at least make it to 46.. It can get dicey trying to predict your future.

[formerly33]

 

Does that mean I'm the best off?

No. The average life expectancy for men in the US is 76, while it's 81 for women. Gotta dig deeper into these little facts ...

[Vanimal46]

I'm bringing this back! 

Internet Shutdown:

 

You must be one important person in life. The President of the United States called you directly to deliver some harsh news... The internet is being shut down in 24 hours. Only you know about this, and by 7 AM the next morning, everyone is going to be in shock that they're no longer able to connect to the Internet. 

What would you download off of the internet knowing it will no longer exist in 24 hours? How would you prioritize what gets downloaded first? 

[Mike Sixel]

 

I'm bringing this back! 

Internet Shutdown:

 

You must be one important person in life. The President of the United States called you directly to deliver some harsh news... The internet is being shut down in 24 hours. Only you know about this, and by 7 AM the next morning, everyone is going to be in shock that they're no longer able to connect to the Internet. 

What would you download off of the internet knowing it will no longer exist in 24 hours? How would you prioritize what gets downloaded first? 

 

I would work with everyone I know to download all scientific information. Then all books. Then something that makes me lots of money, so maybe porn. Not sure.

[Squirrel]

Oh, hmmm ... yeah, lots of books and music ... I'd have to think about what else.

[Mike Sixel]

I thought about music......but gotta get the science. Plus, there are still plenty of CDs and albums out there.......

[Craig Arko]

Por,,, ah, blind me with Science.

[Mike Sixel]

I have never looked at porn on line.....which I find odd, actually.

[Vanimal46]

The whole world as we know it would stall out with no internet.. Almost every company's payments and shipments would be halted... Where were these boxes supposed to go again? The careers of some folks would seize to exist (computer science, developers, bloggers, etc.)

Do you try to hack confidential CIA type information? I mean, what are they going to do to you once the internet goes away? 

I think you guys are on the right track. There would be a YUGE demand for porn in print/video form without the internet.  

[Vanimal46]

Nobody's thought of downloading all of the archived game threads on this site? I thought we were talking about life changing things on those threads.... 

[Craig Arko]

 

Nobody's thought of downloading all of the archived game threads on this site? I thought we were talking about life changing things on those threads.... 

Along with the annotated Collected Works of Sid Hartman.

 

My life has changed already just thinking about it.

[Mike Sixel]

Yes, the world would be massively changed for sure.

 

 

As for life changing things......did you and that woman become longer term friends?

[TheLeviathan]

Much of our science and books are catalogued elsewhere, what is exclusive to the internet? I'd venture something like a "best of youtube", but most of the truly important things in this world predates the internet so they'd still be safe I'd imagine.

[Vanimal46]

 

Yes, the world would be massively changed for sure.

 

 

As for life changing things......did you and that woman become longer term friends?

We have been dating for about a month now! The bad news is she's considering taking a new job in Dallas that would require around 50% travel... I'm not one that does well in long distance relationships.. I'm not going to hold her back from doing it if she wants, but I also know the relationship's probably going to end shortly if she does. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

We have been dating for about a month now! The bad news is she's considering taking a new job in Dallas that would require around 50% travel... I'm not one that does well in long distance relationships.. I'm not going to hold her back from doing it if she wants, but I also know the relationship's probably going to end shortly if she does. 

 

good luck. If you want, you can find a way. You'll figure it out.......imagine what it was like back when the 80s when I tried an international relationship!

 

You had to plan long distance calls, there was no email or internet, letters could take a week to get there.......

[Mike Sixel]

 

Much of our science and books are catalogued elsewhere, what is exclusive to the internet? I'd venture something like a "best of youtube", but most of the truly important things in this world predates the internet so they'd still be safe I'd imagine.

 

Good question.......but having read Farenheit 451, I refuse to take the chance....

[Squirrel]

 

I thought about music......but gotta get the science. Plus, there are still plenty of CDs and albums out there.......

Well, as are there books, too, for that matter. So I guess we should be thinking about things that would be very difficult to obtain another way ... like printing out everything in Wikipedia ... although I probably wouldn't do that ... but perhaps your science idea is the best.

 

But wouldn't things revert back to how they were ... people relying on actual magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and having a set of encyclopedias at home ... to what would you download that you couldn't otherwise obtain easily?

[TheLeviathan]

Yeah, the loss of the internet wouldn't necessarily be tangible in the same sense as it would if a library is burned, the loss would be felt in how it would decouple so much of our economy, monetary systems, etc.

 

We'd feel it, but it isn't because we lost something we can't get back.  We'd feel it because a whole way of living would be suddenly pulled out from under us.

[Pardon My Dinger]

I'd do nothing but watch video compilations of people falling down. All day and all night!

[Squirrel]

Right ... then again ... maybe all this seems more 'horrific' to someone like Van, because he's too young to know how it was 'before.' Your 'Best of YouTube' idea was good ... but wasn't that really MTV and VH1 to a certain extent? Or other such programming ... I mean, I watch a lot of 'Candid Camera' like stuff on YouTube, and there was a once a show like this. So, what really, couldn't we get, other than a matter of convenience?

[Mike Sixel]

 

Right ... then again ... maybe all this seems more 'horrific' to someone like Van, because he's too young to know how it was 'before.' Your 'Best of YouTube' idea was good ... but wasn't that really MTV and VH1 to a certain extent? Or other such programming ... I mean, I watch a lot of 'Candid Camera' like stuff on YouTube, and there was a once a show like this. So, what really, couldn't we get, other than a matter of convenience?

 

The economy would basically shut down for months.....

 

I'd invest in printing and paper companies for sure.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Right ... then again ... maybe all this seems more 'horrific' to someone like Van, because he's too young to know how it was 'before.' Your 'Best of YouTube' idea was good ... but wasn't that really MTV and VH1 to a certain extent? Or other such programming ... I mean, I watch a lot of 'Candid Camera' like stuff on YouTube, and there was a once a show like this. So, what really, couldn't we get, other than a matter of convenience?

 

I agree, it's hard to find anything on the internet that isn't readily replaced.  What it brings us is what we already have but in a more convenient and accessible way.  It brings tangibly valuable things to us at an intangibly helpful rate.

 

But nothing, in and of itself, would I rush to save before the plug was pulled.  I'd be more worried about pulling all my cash out of banks and stuffing it in my mattress.

[Craig Arko]

We could always just rebuild the Internet. I was there when it was still ARPANet.

 

http://www.amazon.com/TCP-IP-Dummies-Candace-Leiden/dp/0470450606

 

[Mike Sixel]

 

I agree, it's hard to find anything on the internet that isn't readily replaced.  What it brings us is what we already have but in a more convenient and accessible way.  It brings tangibly valuable things to us at an intangibly helpful rate.

 

But nothing, in and of itself, would I rush to save before the plug was pulled.  I'd be more worried about pulling all my cash out of banks and stuffing it in my mattress.

 

Damn good point there at the end.....

 

I'd sell every stock I own for sure.

[Vanimal46]

 

I agree, it's hard to find anything on the internet that isn't readily replaced.  What it brings us is what we already have but in a more convenient and accessible way.  It brings tangibly valuable things to us at an intangibly helpful rate.

 

But nothing, in and of itself, would I rush to save before the plug was pulled.  I'd be more worried about pulling all my cash out of banks and stuffing it in my mattress.

Brilliant! That may be the way to go here... Though you may raise some red flags if you burst into the bank and demanded all of your cash at once....

[Craig Arko]

 

Brilliant! That may be the way to go here... Though you may raise some red flags if you burst into the bank and demanded all of your cash at once....

I'd predict a visit from the MiB shortly thereafter.

[Squirrel]

 

The economy would basically shut down for months.....

 

I'd invest in printing and paper companies for sure.

This would be your money maker ... more so than porn ... but then maybe I'm naive about that ... er ... need.

[Squirrel]

 

 

Brilliant! That may be the way to go here... Though you may raise some red flags if you burst into the bank and demanded all of your cash at once....

Would a bank even have that on hand in cash?

 

Well ...

 

 

[Squirrel]

 

 

Damn good point there at the end.....

 

I'd sell every stock I own for sure.

What about retirement accounts? I wouldn't need that immediately.