Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich • Hacker News Board

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#61

Post by forgetsusername » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:16 PM UTC

UweSchmidt wrote: post #25

Realistically, society can make a comeback from pretty much any conceivable catastrophy. Similarly to the situation in communist countries, where important things were scarce and money was worthless, surviving would depend on cooperation and mutual trust, not on defending your bunker and playing out a Mad Max movie. While self-defense has its place I wonder which attitude would prevail.

>society can make a comeback from pretty much any conceivable catastrophy

I agree. Where disaster preparation matters is in that period between "catastrophe" and "recovery". How long before things are normal again? Is that period a week? A month? A year? How bad will it get in between? That's what you need to survive.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#62

Post by mccoyspace » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:16 PM UTC

It's informative to look at actual examples of SHTF scenarios, war zones for example. In Afghanistan, Chechnya, Syria and so on, groups band together for survival. As far as I can tell it isn't particularly about the fortified redoubt. And armed militias seem to be the form that the groups take. I don't think it is the wealthy business executives that rise to head those militias. So maybe these rich peppers will just provide targets to more ruthless and bigger bands of raiders.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#63

Post by erikpukinskis » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

arouqa wrote: post #17

mac01021 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the two goals are not mutually exclusive. Every dollar you spend on your bunker is a dollar you don't spend helping the world keep out of the sort of trouble that would make your bunker necessary. I'm not saying you aren't entitled to spend your time and money however you like, but there is a mathematical sense in which the goals do conflict, even if only via opportunity cost.

But how much money would you need to spend to keep the world out of trouble? Especially if you don't have any political clout or an army to back it up. Would donating $5 million really help in some catastrophic event? Especially when compared to the multi-billions that nations spend each year?

Armies have never been less valuable than they are today, and they are getting less valuable very fast.

Money is probably at peak value: more valuable than it has ever been, but people are realizing its limitations and it will probably never again be as valuable as it is today.

Other forms of value are ascending. That's why people who rely on money and armies for their livelihood are so scared.

If you want to help the world, money and armies are not the tools to use. Start with your time, human time will never be less valued than it is today.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#64

Post by gnarbarian » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

dynofuz wrote: post #34

it seems that living in an apartment would be safer than a stand alone house. at least in the apartment even if you dont know your neighbors there may be some sense of community -- if we protect the apartment then we all have some safety. also surface area wise, an apartment has many more people to defend than a standalone house. personally if i were going to route of the people in the article, id get a boat and live…

Smaller towns often have a far more fierce sense of community. Most of the time people are drawn to them out of shared values and beliefs.

Here in Alaska the small towns fall into a few categories: native villages, churchy types, and fishing towns. The native villages and churchy communities are extremely close knit and wary of outsiders. Nearly everyone is armed to the teeth up here too.

While the logistics of defending a single large apartment building might seem beneficial over a few houses in the middle of nowhere, the big difference is the apartment building is in the middle of the city where all the unprepared people are. In a huge crisis it would be difficult to justify the expense of gas to reach the remote village for a raid. (especially those off the road system).

Also, if you live in the woods you have easier access to wild game with less competition.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#65

Post by gnarbarian » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

dynofuz wrote: post #34

it seems that living in an apartment would be safer than a stand alone house. at least in the apartment even if you dont know your neighbors there may be some sense of community -- if we protect the apartment then we all have some safety. also surface area wise, an apartment has many more people to defend than a standalone house. personally if i were going to route of the people in the article, id get a boat and live…

Smaller towns often have a far more fierce sense of community. Most of the time people are drawn to them out of shared values and beliefs.

Here in Alaska the small towns fall into a few categories: native villages, churchy types, and fishing towns. The native villages and churchy communities are extremely close knit and wary of outsiders. Nearly everyone is armed to the teeth up here too.

While the logistics of defending a single large apartment building might seem beneficial over a few houses in the middle of nowhere, the big difference is the apartment building is in the middle of the city where all the unprepared people are. In a huge crisis it would be difficult to justify the expense of gas to reach the remote village for a raid. (especially those off the road system).

Also, if you live in the woods you have easier access to wild game with less competition.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#66

Post by unabridged » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

aub3bhat wrote: post #16

I think a lot of rich people underestimate the importance of law and order which allows them to benfit-from/wield their wealth. A bunch of guns, food packets or gold bars are unlikely to be of any use in case of a true catastrophe. The sense of power that wealth brings evaporates quickly, a quick litmus test is how few wealthy like Maddoff can escape law enforcement, even when having complete knowledge of their own c…

I love how half of these plans all depend on workers transporting them. Yeah some guy in an armored SUV is going to pick you up and save you while leaving his family & friends to die.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#67

Post by gnarbarian » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

dynofuz wrote: post #34

it seems that living in an apartment would be safer than a stand alone house. at least in the apartment even if you dont know your neighbors there may be some sense of community -- if we protect the apartment then we all have some safety. also surface area wise, an apartment has many more people to defend than a standalone house. personally if i were going to route of the people in the article, id get a boat and live…

Smaller towns often have a far more fierce sense of community. Most of the time people are drawn to them out of shared values and beliefs.

Here in Alaska the small towns fall into a few categories: native villages, churchy types, and fishing towns. The native villages and churchy communities are extremely close knit and wary of outsiders. Nearly everyone is armed to the teeth up here too.

While the logistics of defending a single large apartment building might seem beneficial over a few houses in the middle of nowhere, the big difference is the apartment building is in the middle of the city where all the unprepared people are. In a huge crisis it would be difficult to justify the expense of gas to reach the remote village for a raid. (especially those off the road system).

Also, if you live in the woods you have easier access to wild game with less competition.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#68

Post by gnarbarian » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:18 PM UTC

dynofuz wrote: post #34

it seems that living in an apartment would be safer than a stand alone house. at least in the apartment even if you dont know your neighbors there may be some sense of community -- if we protect the apartment then we all have some safety. also surface area wise, an apartment has many more people to defend than a standalone house. personally if i were going to route of the people in the article, id get a boat and live…

Smaller towns often have a far more fierce sense of community. Most of the time people are drawn to them out of shared values and beliefs.

Here in Alaska the small towns fall into a few categories: native villages, churchy types, and fishing towns. The native villages and churchy communities are extremely close knit and wary of outsiders. Nearly everyone is armed to the teeth up here too.

While the logistics of defending a single large apartment building might seem beneficial over a few houses in the middle of nowhere, the big difference is the apartment building is in the middle of the city where all the unprepared people are. In a huge crisis it would be difficult to justify the expense of gas to reach the remote village for a raid. (especially those off the road system).

Also, if you live in the woods you have easier access to wild game with less competition.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#69

Post by forgetsusername » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:18 PM UTC

runjake wrote: post #11

FLUX-YOU wrote: post #3

It must be great to be known as a doomsday escape haven like New Zealand. When the world actually goes tits up, you have a whole bunch of rich people bringing supplies and survival gear to your country for you to take.

The smart looters would identify those spots in NZ now, and loot them when they're relatively unoccupied and not in alert state. You see these OPSEC fails in the middle class, too, with the NRA/AR-15/"Molon Labe" bumper stickers on their cars. Thanks for letting me know you have cool firearms, ammunition, and god knows what else.

>Thanks for letting me know you have cool firearms, ammunition, and god knows what else.

I'm pretty sure many of those card carrying NRA members would love for you to show up on their doorstep to take possession of their firearms and survival stash...

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich

#70

Post by imglorp » Wed, Jan 25, 2017, 6:20 PM UTC

lngnmn wrote: post #52

Stopped reading after "stocking bitcoin and cryptocurrencies". For the love of god, who will maintain the internet access and enough peers for a transaction to be made? Golden coins sounds better, but a hundred thousand liters of good old diesel and high octane petrol is even better.)

Fuel is great to trade. So is ammo and horses. The latter are especially versatile because they can often feed themselves, make more horses, provide truly all terrain transport after the fuel turns to varnish, and you can even eat them if needed.