Justin Johnson's almost daily web-log

19th February 2008

Post with 4 notes

Tech-pocalypse

Does anyone else worry that in the event of a utility-wrecking global apocalyptic event (such as a pole-reversal, meteor stike, etc), all the tech skills so painstakingly honed over the years will become immediately and obviously worthless?

I assume that within hours of being stranded in the savage wilderness, I’d eat something poisionous, or be eaten BY something big and mean. My hands, while quite adept at typing tumblr posts, or zipping along a Final Cut Pro timeline, would become quickly-bloodied painful pink nubs in an untamed jungle no matter how intently I watch Tivo’ed episodes of ‘Survivorman.’

The homeless, forced to detox after the infrastructure that powered their habit falls to pieces, would suddenly become like those special forces super-soldiers in movies about ‘Nam. All jumping around and shit, forming powerful gangs and swinging from trees. Who cares if I know how to reinstall Windows, or find the fastest Bittorrents? They can sleep outside and build fires in garbage cans!

It seems at times the pipelines that keep me useful are held by such a fragile mass of cords and wires.

Here’s to keeping us all useful for many years to come.