Tell the world the end is nigh?

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-03-10 04:25am

Let's say you're an astronomer, and you've just discovered that there's a planet-killing asteroid in route to Earth, ETA: 2 to 4 hours. For the sake of this thread, you're 100% sure, you're the only person that knows, and the only person that will discover the asteroid before it hits.

Do you:

Inform the world, causing chaos, but allowing people a little time to make their peace, etc.?

or

Keep quiet since ignorance is bliss (even if short-lived, in this case).

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-03-10 06:31am

If it's coming so soon, just tell them. I want to what happens. 2-4 hours won't mean shit.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2003-03-10 07:33am

Climb onto the tallest tower in the world and laugh

Then head for the Bunker and frankly begin Saving what I can of the World's History, Knoweldge, And Pornigraphy of the Internet for the betterment of all

Dooey Jo · Post by **Dooey Jo** » 2003-03-10 09:23am

How many people can you tell in 2-4 hours?

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-03-10 11:42am

I doubt you'd be believed for a while. The government would have to verify it and it'll take a long time. Might as well give everyone a little peace before the end.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-03-10 01:09pm

I would not bother telling anyone. Id just try to say good bye to my best friends.

Post by **Lagmonster** » 2003-03-10 01:29pm

What's the point? Two to four hours won't do a thing. No one will believe you, and even if you point directly to the thing and get CNN on the horn, that's still not a huge audience. I doubt you could get must reaction out of the population at large in that short a time period.

No matter what, though, I would be looking for a way to protect myself, pronto. Via whatever method necessary, up to and including suicidal attempts to get myself into solid underground military installations.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-03-10 01:40pm

I wouldn't tell anyone. With that time frame it'd be pointless.

Instead I'd immediately begin a doomed man's last night of drinking and debauchery. Why not? You won't even live long enough to feel the hangover.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2003-03-10 02:55pm

not much point in telling anyone. If i where in that position i'd go to the off-licence, get a bottle of baileys and a bag of ice, go home and chill out to a few cd's before it all goes wrong. If i had the chance i'd spend the last 2 hours watchign Monty Pythons Life OF Brian. I want to die laughing.

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-03-10 03:16pm

It would probably take more than two hours to arrange the information in a format that would make your findings believable. If you just run into CNN shouting "We're all gonna dieeeeee!!!!", nobody would believe you.

Its better to spend your remaining time doing something creative: like driving a bulldozer through a Ferrari car lot (while screaming "We're all gonna dieeeee!!!" of course).

Or, something dramatic like: climb a big mountain and shake your fist at the asteroid while shouting "Best death ever!"

Tom_Aurum · Post by **Tom_Aurum** » 2003-03-10 03:44pm

Goddammit, I've got to tell someone. How else am I going to get that wonderful end of the world lay? Hell, I'll see if I can hijack the space shuttle or do something else ridiculous as well. 2 to 4 hours however, is far too little time to play with. I'd want a good 24 hours myself. I guess I'd run rampant through downtown stealing all the overpriced cakes at Coffee Plantation, and other assorted foodstuffs. Probably see how long I could dodge the local police too, I hate them.

Oh, and if I manage to pull that off for long enough, I'd take one of those stuck up little health nuts over at the Co-op, bend them over my knee, and spank her for a good ten minutes. Not rape her or anything like that, just a long.. humiliating... spanking. Probably have fun watching the shocked look on everyone's faces.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-03-10 03:56pm

I'd Double Check
Then I'd waste about five minutes in pissed off silence. Then I'd go beserk and try to do anything possible to survive, with any woman of a reasonable disposition. I might post it on here as well.

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-03-10 04:12pm

NecronLord wrote: I might post it on here as well.

Occam's Razor would suggest that we first investigate the possibility that you are joking or trolling, so with all the typing and discussion, we probably wouldn't see it hitting us anyway.

Although, ....there's a nuclear bomb shelter in Ottawa, if you could convince us in an hour, and if I drove real fast I could probably make it. The good thing is if you only told us, then I could get in easy (its a museum now). Maybe the Dallas cheerleaders would be in town doing some sight seeing, and we'd be "saved" (along with our biological duty to repopulate the planet....)

Captain Jack · Post by **Captain Jack** » 2003-03-10 04:18pm

I voted yes. A guy like me can't cause caos eveyday, so i will grab the chance.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-03-10 04:19pm

Drewcifer wrote:Let's say you're an astronomer, and you've just discovered that there's a planet-killing asteroid in route to Earth, ETA: 2 to 4 hours. For the sake of this thread, you're 100% sure, you're the only person that knows, and the only person that will discover the asteroid before it hits.

Do you:

Inform the world, causing chaos, but allowing people a little time to make their peace, etc.?

or

Keep quiet since ignorance is bliss (even if short-lived, in this case).

Well, since the world is gonna end (Mind you, it will take years for humanity to die off,) I'd might as well take credit for discovering the thing. If I don't, some guy in, like, Arizona will discover it one hour before it hits, and announce it to the world.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-03-10 04:23pm

GrandMasterTerwynn wrote:Well, since the world is gonna end (Mind you, it will take years for humanity to die off,) I'd might as well take credit for discovering the thing. If I don't, some guy in, like, Arizona will discover it one hour before it hits, and announce it to the world.

It says in the OP that only you will find it.

Tom_Aurum · Post by **Tom_Aurum** » 2003-03-10 04:26pm

Something you people aren't getting. Probably by "planet-killing" asteroid he means something that is literally going to rip apart the planet. Something that would undeniably END all carbon-based life on earth and most likely destroy the planet itself. Only chance you may have is to hijack the space shuttle and put yourself in cryo-stasis. (Hah!)

(Goes back to his fantasy of spanking the co-op clerk. For some reason there's nothing more entertaining than the thought of a reddened female hippie bottom.)

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-03-10 04:29pm

Zoink wrote:
NecronLord wrote: I might post it on here as well.
Occam's Razor would suggest that we first investigate the possibility that you are joking or trolling, so with all the typing and discussion, we probably wouldn't see it hitting us anyway.

I never said I'd try to convince you all. Considering that only a certain number would be on during that time period. I would suggest you watch for television/radio newsflashes while packing up essentials. The chances of it not being noticed before impact are pretty low. Even if it is hours.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-03-10 04:31pm

I say goodbye to a few friends. That is all.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-03-10 04:31pm

Tom_Aurum wrote:Something you people aren't getting. Probably by "planet-killing" asteroid he means something that is literally going to rip apart the planet.

Actually that would be a planet destroyer, In any case such an asteroid would need to be immense about the size of the moon or bigger, The largest asteroid known is Vesta (IIRC) and is nowhere near that size.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-03-10 04:33pm

Tom_Aurum wrote:Something you people aren't getting. Probably by "planet-killing" asteroid he means something that is literally going to rip apart the planet. Something that would undeniably END all carbon-based life on earth and most likely destroy the planet itself. Only chance you may have is to hijack the space shuttle and put yourself in cryo-stasis. (Hah!)

(Goes back to his fantasy of spanking the co-op clerk. For some reason there's nothing more entertaining than the thought of a reddened female hippie bottom.)

A planet-killer would need to be no bigger than about six to ten miles across. That would spawn a nice mass-extinction event that would wipe out many forms of higher life on Earth. (Including us.)

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-03-10 04:35pm

NecronLord wrote:
Tom_Aurum wrote:Something you people aren't getting. Probably by "planet-killing" asteroid he means something that is literally going to rip apart the planet.
Actually that would be a planet destroyer, In any case such an asteroid would need to be immense about the size of the moon or bigger, The largest asteroid known is Vesta (IIRC) and is nowhere near that size.

Yes, something that would rip apart the planet would be about Mars-sized (similar to the object that smacked into the Earth during it's formation and caused the formation of the Moon.) An asteroid big enough to melt the crust of the planet would be less than moon-sized, but still pretty enormous.

And the largest asteroid is Ceres, at 1003 kilometers in diameter.

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-03-10 04:38pm

Tom_Aurum wrote:Something you people aren't getting. Probably by "planet-killing" asteroid he means something that is literally going to rip apart the planet. Something that would undeniably END all carbon-based life on earth and most likely destroy the planet itself. Only chance you may have is to hijack the space shuttle and put yourself in cryo-stasis. (Hah!)

(Goes back to his fantasy of spanking the co-op clerk. For some reason there's nothing more entertaining than the thought of a reddened female hippie bottom.)

Actually I think they label "planet killer" as something smaller, something that would destroy pretty much all life eventually, not necessarily rip the planet in two (spaceshuttle wouldn't be safe in that case). Although even that is an estimation, as there are bacteria living kilometers below the surface that survive off heat and "eating" various metals, probably hard to kill all of those.

But since we've never directly witnessed a "planet killer", there's a chance your assessment is wrong, so its best to act on the assumption that its an "ACME Planet Cleaner Asteroid(tm) (warning: may not clean inside bomb shelter)"

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-03-10 05:29pm

read a book.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-03-10 07:02pm

i say tell the JWs and profit while you can.

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