I remember doing a discussion activity/thought experiment in high school where we had to choose 6-8 people from a list (e.g. pregnant teen, scientist, priest, stay-at-home mom, doctor) to save in a nuclear apocalypse and justify our decision. There was a paper handout associated with the activity, and I'm pretty sure my teacher didn't write it himself, because I've talked to friends who've done the same thing in a different context (church groups, retreats, etc. ). I'm looking for a link to a copy of this activity, or a place where I'd be able to find it.
posted by jeisme on Oct 11, 2009 - 3 answers

In the recent documentary not quite hollywood , the talking heads mention the Australian influence on Italian genre films, where an entire genre of Mad Max–style rip-offs emerged. What are these movies, and can I get them on netflix? [more inside]
posted by kittensofthenight on Aug 23, 2009 - 6 answers

Identify a book for my girlfriend please. Read in the mid 90's maybe had 'children' in the title. Sci-fi novel about children held captive with woman in a castle after being placed with her through a government forced foster system (children are lent out to childless people for one month). They survive nuclear meltdown and years after by being put into suspended animation. [more inside]
posted by Uncle on Aug 9, 2009 - 5 answers

Ham Operators: In the event of the apocalypse, how long will satellite-based repeaters last? [more inside]
posted by jsonic on Jul 24, 2009 - 10 answers

A place that my husband and I spend a lot of time in has termites. A plethora of questions about termites and my possibly insane level of fear about them follows. [more inside]
posted by Medieval Maven on May 17, 2009 - 5 answers

This has my parents spooked. Tell me how to ease their financial fears. [more inside]
posted by ElmerFishpaw on Mar 6, 2009 - 10 answers

Reading this article (and a USA Today story linked in it) this morning, and I'm curious about an astronomical event mentioned in it. [more inside]
posted by jasondbarr on Feb 10, 2009 - 12 answers

First contact and apocalyptic sci-fi recommendations please. [more inside]
posted by turgid dahlia on Feb 2, 2009 - 44 answers

Would the landline telephone system be completely down after a nuclear strike on ~20 U.S. cities? [more inside]
posted by wastelands on Dec 28, 2008 - 9 answers

Comic Book Recommendation: What well-done series are like the Age of Apocalypse? (Whole-Earth holocaust featuring emotionally vulnerable resistance fighters/mutants/superheroes) [more inside]
posted by cowbellemoo on Oct 11, 2008 - 14 answers

I'm trying to find a quietly apocalyptic poem that featured horses - can anyone help? [more inside]
posted by Chairboy on Sep 29, 2008 - 7 answers

I was listening to public radio this morning and they were talking about the current financial crisis on Wall Street. The expert said, "We will pull through this. America is resilient." That surprised me, as the idea of us not pulling through never occurred to me. But now I'm wondering: what would happen if we didn't "pull through"? As in, explain to me the rock bottom scenario for the United States' current situation and how we get to it. Obviously make it realistic it enough that I can have some really substantial nightmares.
posted by ictow on Sep 19, 2008 - 19 answers

What's a trade I can learn now, as a hobby, that will be useful if/when the economy collapses? [more inside]
posted by sportbucket on Sep 17, 2008 - 41 answers

Help me explain why the Large Hadron Collider doesn't spell our doom. [more inside]
posted by Navelgazer on Sep 11, 2008 - 34 answers

How long should it reasonably take before 2 "Last Men on Earth" meet? [more inside]
posted by mr_book on Aug 23, 2008 - 24 answers

Are there any documented instances of disaster/apocalypse training exercises where the participants could not be sure if it was real or not? [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave on Aug 19, 2008 - 13 answers

What are some humorous descriptions/job titles/uses for otherwise "useless" people during the zombie apocalypse, end of the world, WWIII, etc.?
posted by Skorgu on Feb 26, 2008 - 26 answers

CarbonationFilter! How long would it take for an unopened can of soda pop to go flat? Would it ever? [more inside]
posted by kittens for breakfast on Feb 14, 2008 - 25 answers

Help me find the perfect gift for a zombie enthusiast. [more inside]
posted by rinosaur on Dec 18, 2007 - 29 answers

I'm looking for a few pieces of art I saw on the net a couple years ago. They were individual pieces of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and by a relatively modern artist with a name like Durand, Dorand, or something like that. Ring a bell? [more inside]
posted by BlackLeotardFront on Nov 8, 2007 - 7 answers

I'm looking for a program (in NYC, ideally) that will help me survive the coming apocalypse. [more inside]
posted by incomple on Oct 11, 2007 - 37 answers

Would the internet survive Armageddon? [more inside]
posted by szechuan on Jul 1, 2007 - 37 answers

I'm looking for a dynamic map (of the USA, or of the world) that will graphically display various trends relating to climate change and the effects of global warming in the next century. [more inside]
posted by greggish on May 21, 2007 - 7 answers

ChildhoodMemoryFilter... I keep remembering a Laserdisc movie from way back that included a library, the dewey decimal system, and a force field... [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Feb 5, 2007 - 12 answers

Who holds copyright to Hearts of Darkness^, and why did they block inclusion of the documentary in the recently-released Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier DVD set?
posted by mwhybark on Dec 23, 2006 - 10 answers

Where should I move in order to maximize my chances of surviving the apocalypse? [more inside]
posted by Telf on Sep 6, 2006 - 37 answers

Songs about the end times: tell me about songs whose lyrics give a sense, either overt or oblique, of the world ending, civilization collapsing, etc. [more inside]
posted by nelleish on Aug 11, 2006 - 100 answers

Help me remember this novel where all the adults die, leaving children to run the world. [more inside]
posted by acoutu on Jun 30, 2006 - 19 answers

That fateful day is almost upon us! 6-06-06! Will fire rain down upon us from the heavens, or will the avian flu start spreading like a bad case of the Da Vinci Code? To celebrate these exciting times, I would like to throw an Apocalypse-themed party where we party like it's 1666! But I need some suggestions. [more inside]
posted by tweak on May 25, 2006 - 39 answers

Where did I read the claim that organized society as we know it here in the US could fall apart in as little as 72 hours? [more inside]
posted by junkbox on May 8, 2006 - 21 answers

Is there a name for a morbid obsession for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic everything?? [more inside]
posted by ArchEnemy on Apr 19, 2006 - 19 answers

Imagine the standard post apocalyptic scenario - social order collapses, technology is set back hundreds of years, people are struggling to create something like a livable society again. What skills would make a person especially valuable in a situation like this? Bonus points for things that would be useful in everyday life now. [more inside]
posted by borkingchikapa on Mar 20, 2006 - 59 answers

Ways to maximize one's chances of survival, or even to regain some mere semblance of pre-disaster developed-world lifestyle, after an apocalyptic event? [more inside]
posted by cyrusdogstar on Mar 7, 2006 - 36 answers

I was listening to WFMU a few years ago and I heard this insane fake news report type thing. A reporter in a helicopter is covering a car crash that slowly builds and builds until it becomes apocalyptic (possibly there's an alien attack). He stays perfectly calm through the whole thing.
posted by aiko on Feb 28, 2006 - 7 answers

ReligionEthicsFilter: in all the Apocalypse/Rapture stuff, planes will crash and cars and trains, etc, because the drivers will have been swept up. Doesn't that mean that Christians shouldn't do those things, esp if other people will be harmed as a result? [more inside]
posted by amberglow on Dec 23, 2005 - 26 answers

I'm looking for a good refutation of "Peak Oil". Articles about the certainty/validity of Peak Oil are not hard to come by, but I have yet to find a decent opposing view. I'm open to the possibility that these claims have basis, but I feel as though my reading on the topic is skewed heavily in favor of it.
posted by phrontist on Aug 19, 2005 - 48 answers

China is scaring me. Specifically, the possibility that they'll make a play for Taiwan, the US will come to Taiwan's defense, and World War III (IV? V?) will break out. Are there good reasons this is unlikely?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Jul 20, 2005 - 59 answers

Can anyone suggest a title for an end of the world movie? [more inside]
posted by brundlefly on Jul 12, 2005 - 62 answers

Another Name That Movie Question - Mid 80s movie about a dentist traveling through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. [more inside]
posted by quibx on Jul 11, 2005 - 4 answers

My step-mom (who doesn't normally read sci-fi/fantasy) recently read "The Fifth Sacred Thing" by Starhawk and is looking for more similar books. Specifically she is wanting to read about post-apocalyptic societies. Anyone have any ideas?
posted by arcticwoman on May 17, 2005 - 31 answers

Diabolical Brainstorm: what are ways, either real or imagined, that one could erase almost all human life on earth? Don't worry. I'm not actually planning something. I'm curious about compiling a list of ways that humanity could be wiped out. This could be a real-world threat or a science fiction-type threat. [more inside]
posted by quadog on Mar 18, 2005 - 32 answers

I would like recommendations for "end of the world" fiction books. [more inside]
posted by cmonkey on Dec 13, 2004 - 71 answers

SongFilter: Songs/Artists with choral grandeur? Heard often in films at the pending apocalypse, judgement day, climax, etc. Like the one that goes di, di. da, da. di, di. da, da. di di da daaaa da di daaaaaah. :-P
posted by omidius on Oct 30, 2004 - 28 answers

Bookfilter: It's the day after the end of the world. What book and or books would you want to be able to rebuild? You know, if you want to be able to hunt, plant crops, make clothes, make tools, etc. How does the well educated gentleman prepare for the Apocalypse, practically? Other than the Foxfire books, what should I buy? [more inside]
posted by geekhorde on Sep 27, 2004 - 20 answers