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

[BCS]

Hello Walter,

> BCS wrote:
> 
>> 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, really good geological maps 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.
>> 
> Most of them would promptly die. The reference will be missing all
> kinds of woodcraft that is necessary to survive, but nobody found
> worthwhile to record. (The Firefox series of books is an attempt to
> record those old techniques before they were lost forever.)
> 

No it does contain that knowledge. Assume, it has the totally recorded knowledge 
of earth, wikipidia + googel books + gotenberg + dusty tomes in the back 
of some monetary. The point is what if knowledge is not a limiting factor?

> Most of the instructions in the encyclopedia will be useless, because
> they'll require non-existent precursor technology. How to build those
> precursors probably will not be recorded.
> 
> Then the people will have to have a very fast attitude adjustment, and
> many will die in that process. Take a look at the sad history of
> Jamestown.
> 

What goods a story without some risk of life and limb? That and a social 
aspect.