67,000 miles per hour
August 31, 2007 9:02 AM   Subscribe

The World Without Us. A short study of the sudden removal of our species.
posted by four panels (12 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: We had a post about Weisman's post-human Earth stuff pretty recently. -- cortex



 
Sorry to do this, but I cry:

"Double!"
posted by KokuRyu at 9:04 AM on August 31, 2007


This idea that our radio waves will go on forever seems kind of wrong, since as they get farther from the earth they get geometrically weaker, at some point they are just not going to be detectable. Kinds of directed beams might last longer.

Any deep space probes would still survive though.
posted by delmoi at 9:10 AM on August 31, 2007


It's good to see the cats make it.
posted by Peter H at 9:15 AM on August 31, 2007 [2 favorites]


In the post-apocalyptic MetaFilter, there will still be doubles. Somehow, they live forever.
posted by DU at 9:19 AM on August 31, 2007 [1 favorite]


I find the first link pretty fascinating with great unexpected observations (e.g. the lasting qualities of bronze sculpture etc), thank you for the post.

Now if you don't mind me I'm going to go build my bomb shelter four thousand feet below the earth. Anyone got any beef jerky?
posted by Peter H at 9:21 AM on August 31, 2007


Now if you don't mind me I'm going to go build my bomb shelter four thousand feet below the earth

Just move to Derinkuyu.

coincidentally, the text of that post is from Alan Weisman's book...
posted by dersins at 9:33 AM on August 31, 2007


If you look real close you can see me in the back there with a mountain of pills and a tank of nitrous oxide.
posted by The Straightener at 9:54 AM on August 31, 2007


Since this thread's probably going to be closed I'll just go ahead and say that I just finished the book, and while it was fantastic, it made me want to go out and just eat a bunch of endangered species. Just to get it over with. And because they'd probably be delicious.
Also, having read the bit about Texas's petrochemical plants and what will happen to them the minute the power goes out, I will be removing Galveston from my list of post-apocalyptic hangout spots. Jesus.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 9:55 AM on August 31, 2007 [1 favorite]


The lice don't make it. Yay!
posted by fourcheesemac at 10:00 AM on August 31, 2007


Somehow, they live forever.

*cocks shotgun*

Not on my watch.
posted by quin at 10:16 AM on August 31, 2007


You can actually see what the first twenty years would be like here: Global Chernobyl
posted by augustweed at 10:21 AM on August 31, 2007


Why is this a double? The links are not the same. I don't think similar subject matter creates a double post.

Anyway, I liked this. The first "short study" is excellent.
posted by languagehat at 10:34 AM on August 31, 2007


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