Post Apocalyptic Operating System – The Vault OS

Posted by on Aug 28 2009

The world has gone to shit. You need an OS that can hack it. Forget XP, Mac or your fancy Linux distros. You need Vault OS. To Summarise (from their own site)

The Vault Operating System is designed to be so cheap to implement that it can be put together mostly from junk that others have thrown away. Nobody should be prevented from building the Vault OS network by hardware costs. It is designed to use technology so ubiquitous and limited in scope that nearly any x86 third rate junk machine with the basic specs can be a client and any second rate x86 machine can be the server. It is designed to be so easy to install, maintain, modify and debug that almost anybody could do it.

The influence behind 12 Monkeys – La Jetée

Posted by on Aug 28 2009

12 Monkeys was one of my favourite science fiction/post apocalyptic movies. So what influence behind this movie by Terry Gilliam?

French short film, La jetée (The Jetty) by Chris Marker was made in 1962 and is a 28-minute black and white movie made from photos, it tells the story of a post apocalyptic time travel experiment.
If you 28 Minutes to spare, check it out here:

read more about in Wikipedia

Post Apocalyptic Book Review: Day of the Triffids

Posted by on Aug 28 2009

I recently picked up Day of the Triffids, an acclaimed Post Apocalyptic novel John Wyndham. I must admit, I thought it would be pretty cheesy after all the premise is about deadly plants take over the earth after the people become mysteriously blinded. Maybe this prejudice comes from tonnes of horrible Hollywood productions about zombified beings killing humans. However, I must say this book was a fantastic read.
To start, though these deadly plants, the triffids are major part of the story, the crux of the story is how human society starts from scratch. This brings up conflicts from many different factions, from religious people who morality has higher standards their practicality to feudal lords who try to force their will on survivors. The Triffids pop in out from the background to the forefront of the story while the author struggles to come to grips with how mankind can reestablish themselves after the apocalypse. He wonders how future generations, who have to labour strenuously to stay alive, will ever find the division of labour (eg scientists, researchers) to fight off the triffids.
Have a read for yourself.

A Post Apocalyptic Animation: Graveyard of the Fireflies

Posted by on Aug 28 2009

Ok everyone’s heard of Mad Max, everyone’s heard of Terminator. In fact, Hollywood is going apeshit over post apocalyptic movies now (Terminator 4, The Road, Book of Eli, 9). How about some more obscure Post Apocalyptic movies? While it may not be a pure Post Apocalyptic animation, It does have strong post apocalyptic elements. Instead of the entire world being destroyed, its just a city in Japan that has been fire bombed. Instead of the near future, it takes place during the final days of World War Two. From wikipedia:

Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓 Hotaru no Haka?) is a 1988 animated film written and directed by Isao Takahata .This is the first film produced by Shinchosha, who hired Studio Ghibli to do the animation production work. It is an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, intended as a personal apology to the author’s own sister.
Some critics (most notably Roger Ebert) consider it to be one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made. Animation historian Ernest Rister compares the film to Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and says, “it is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever seen.”
Here’s a small clip, see more here.

Preparing for Feral dog attacks (for now and after the apocalypse)

Posted by on Aug 23 2009

A fellow apocalyptic blogger recently posted an interesting point about dangers of feral animals in a post apocalyptic world, particulary dogs:

It’s going to be one of the biggest hazards and most people have never really thought about it much. They only think of dogs as man’s best friend. The alternative doesn’t really occur to them. Without socialization, people and dogs turn into ravenous beasts.

Read more here. The news, particularly here in New Zealand, is rife with stories of feral dogs (called pig dogs) that have mauled people recently. Over in the States, you can find heaps of stories about packs of feral canines. Heres a good article about what to when encountering feral dogs (or any threatening animals).

1. Stand your ground! It is important when encountering any wild animal, and this includes dogs that you never take a step back. Even one step backward will be perceived as submission, and may kick the dog’s prey instinct to take over. Instead, you must stand tall, and hold your ground, but above all else, never, and I mean never turn and run. If you do, you can almost guarantee that the dog, or dogs will chase you down.
2. Exhibit calm dominance/confidence. This behavior will go a long way to showing that you are an alpha to be taken seriously. Most dogs will be unsure of how to proceed. Their instinct will be to see you as an equal and not prey. Body language is everything on this one. Stand tall, head erect, shoulders relaxed. Act as if the dog or dogs’ presence is of no concern to you. This will help you to maintain your calm. It is alright to be nervous on the inside, you would not be human if you weren’t, but under no circumstance can you allow the animals confronting you to see your nervousness.
3. Make yourself appear bigger. If you have hiking poles raise them into the air, it will make your body appear larger, but even if you do not, raise your arms up and out. Don’t shake them about, but hold them in position. Size of prey is always a factor for any canine thinking about making an attack.
4. Begin yelling at the dog(s) in a firm, deep voice. Do not yell frantically, it will make you seem hysterical to the dog(s). Instead, yell as if you were reprimanding a family pet. Be firm, commanding, and try to use a deeper, gruffer voice. “Go on, get out of here! Bad dog! Go on!” Or you can use something similar, but the point is to display that you are in control. The dog will pick up on your posture and it may be enough to get it to leave.
5. Take a step forward, or continue to hold your ground. If there is more than one dog the above steps may not work, and even if there is only one they still may not work, which leaves you with a decision. You can take a confident step forward again repeating your command. As in my situation it was enough to get the dog to flee, but the move could be taken as a challenge, especially if there are multiple dogs. The choice will be up to you, but if you choose not to, then you must continue to hold your ground. Never turn your back, or sink your posture. You may be able to hold the animals at a standstill until they either leave, or more people show up to scare the animals away.