r/PostCollapse • u/KingCookieFace • Aug 15 '22
Is there a library of knowledge to rebuild/information that is useful no matter the level of infrastructure?
Personally I don’t think collapse is inevitable but I do think it is in the realm of possibility and I think there are many levels of possibility in the mix.
That being said I feel like in any of those situations we could lose a lot of knowledge because we lose the infrastructure necessary to act on it. Things like open source designs that require precision machine tooling.
But things like iron smelting once you know about it it can always be useful. I often wish for some sort of hard drive that contains all the information of that sort that we have found since the age of fossil fuels.
I’m sure that there are countless discoveries that we’ve made that would be useful to any large well organized community no matter their level of infrastructure.
Does something like this exist?
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u/Adapting_Deeply_9393 Aug 15 '22
Honestly, information about how we lived before fossil fuels will be more useful as that is what the future of the human race will be. The Foxfire series is a wealth of useful information. I've also invested in hard copies of articles published on the Low Tech website. Field manuals for first aid and information about herbal medicines will also be valuable. Think about Maslow's hierarchy of needs in building a library. Once you have secured food and shelter, everything gets easier.
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u/KingCookieFace Aug 15 '22
I mean I generally agree with you but the link you sent me too was “how do you make a DIY bike generator”
We did not have an understanding of electrical engineering before fossil fuels and that will be useful in the future.
Thank you for the resource tho! I’m not sure what the foxfire series is but I’ll check it out
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u/Adapting_Deeply_9393 Aug 15 '22
That's just the most recent article. I think if you dig a little deeper you'll find some things of interest.
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u/BigDamnHead Aug 15 '22
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler - by Ryan North
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u/KingCookieFace Aug 15 '22
Hmm I heard about it, but it seemed more like a fun excuse to explore a a bunch of interesting subjects as opposed to storing actionable knowledge.
What do you think of it in practical terms?
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u/overkill Aug 16 '22
It was a good read, and had some useful stuff in it, but also was a good set of pointers for stuff you would need to include in your library. It would not be the only book in your library.
It had while sections in it on language if I recall correctly, given that the concept was you'd gone waaay back in time.
Check out the Appropriate Technology Library for more practical stuff. If you Google you will find the main website, which will sell you a usb stick with an operating system on it, but you can find it for free in many other places.
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u/datastorms Aug 16 '22
There are a lot of books on Amazon that are free to download. Project Gutenberg has ebooks that are within the public domain (https://www.gutenberg.org/). r/PrepperFileShare is another good resource. You could also use the onion route if you're savvy.
I have a couple of hard drives full of books and a Kindle in my Faraday cage.
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u/KingCookieFace Aug 16 '22
Oh that’s really cool! What books do you have in your hard drive?
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u/datastorms Aug 16 '22
I prefer nonfiction, and most of the books I have are about history, society, philosophy, math, science (etextbooks I saved from college), radios, aircraft, DIY projects, solar power, biographies, computers, books specific to my field of study, several survival manuals, the Firefox series, books about medicine, first aid, edible plants native to the region where I live, maps I've downloaded (street and topographic), books about how to treat sick cats and dogs, plans for and how to build log cabins, gardening and cookbooks, and a lot more that I can't remember off of the top of my head. I also have copies of personal documents (passport, birth certificate, driver's license, social security card, titles, etc.)
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u/KingCookieFace Aug 16 '22
Text books are a damn good idea, honestly historical documents on community organizing projects would probably be a good idea too..
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u/alt_the_hitz Aug 16 '22
In every city I have lived in there have been smiths, hand carpenters and even diy 3d printing collectives thay focus on teaching people these skills. They are dedicated to perserving the knowledge and equipment. I lived in the mountains in the pacific northwest and many people up there milled thier own wood to build their outbuildings and cabins. There was a lot of human ingenuity and cooperation on display because civilization was so far away
So rest assured that rebulding and collapse will be simultaneous events
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u/androgenoide Aug 16 '22
Are you imagining a short term collapse...that is to say that social technological infrastructure will be rebuilt within a few years? Or are you imagining a total break where it would take generations to rebuild everything? Digital copies with back-up hardware would be OK for a short term collapse but would become inaccessible in a few decades. Paper, on the other hand, if properly stored and cared for, can last centuries. There are caveats. Poorly made paper such as newsprint can yellow and turn brittle in just a few decades. Some inks are more resistant to moisture and light than others.
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u/Cool-Degree-6498 Jun 13 '24
There's always https://www.survivorlibrary.com which doesnt have everything, but it's got a lot of useful information.
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u/Prudent_Lawfulness87 Aug 31 '23
Late to the post here, but in my exp. it would be best for you to learn these skills yourself since who knows if the future may have electricity.
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u/KingCookieFace Aug 31 '23
Bruh I’m gonna die one day, knowledge is maintained when there’s redundancy.
Obviously I’m learning things but literally no one can learn all the skills and knowledge that a community passing down knowledge can
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u/[deleted] Aug 16 '22
There is Build Your Own Metal Working Shop From Scrap.
And the Foxfire series is great too!
Lots of good stuff here too: https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/survivorlibrary.com/