[OT] [I mean totally OT] Re: What can you "new"

[Daniel Keep]

BCS wrote:
> Hello Walter,
> 
>>
>> This would all make for a great scifi story!
>>
> 
> the story I want to puzzle out is that a group of a few thousand people
> get dropped on a planet with an indestructible encyclopedic reference,

You mean a ruggedised Kindle 2 a.k.a. the Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy version 0.1?

> really good geological maps

Here's hoping Google Earth has that planet, then.  :P

> and their birthday suits. I've wondered how
> long it would take to get into back into space. If they can keep society
> together, I'd bet it would be under 100 years, it might even be under a
> generation.

Without a supply of food, not long, I'd imagine.  Assuming your list of
materials is complete, they'd have to figure out what's edible, then
hunt and gather their food for at least as long as it takes them to
figure out what they can grow, and then grow it.

Then there's the question of whether these people are skilled, or just a
few thousand random people off the street.

Not to mention that to get into space they'd need a hell of a lot of
things.  Even with written knowledge of how to do it, I don't imagine it
would be an easy thing to do.

  -- Daniel