Everybody Jump

[Kylara]

I recently read this (on Tuesday to be precise) and it has been following me all week. http://what-if.xkcd.com/8/ Why has no-one ever thought of writing a novel, a post-apocalyptic novel, like this? (If there are some I apologise) It gives a wonderful starter for thoughts about what could happen.

So I just wondered what you guys thought of the idea, and maybe any more problems people might face if this, or something like it happened...



(Also if you look in their archives, a few weeks ago he answered a question about a robot apocalypse...funniest thing I have ever read on the subject!)

 

[Cayal]

Am I reading it correctly? The entire earth is transported to Rhode Island and everyone jumps at the same time.

Nothing happens on the jump but from then on it becomes a Rat-race to survive?

 

[HareBrain]

Why has no-one ever thought of writing a novel, a post-apocalyptic novel, like this?

What, where something that could never happen happens, and nothing changes because of it? Puzzles me too. (I assume I'm missing something.)

 

[Kylara]

He is just extraoplating on the idea that if everyone jumps at the same time, although nothing would actually happen to the earth, there are other, more entertaining repercussions...I'm sure there'd be a way in SF to transport everyone to the same area at the same time - maybe an alien race wants a new tv reality show...It just amused me how quickly everything would disintegrate if that happened...

 

[HareBrain]

Apart from those on the very outer edge, everyone would just die horribly, either straight away through being crushed, or over days through thirst.

 

[Kylara]

But you've still got those on the outer edge :wink:

 

[Ursa major]

Why has no-one ever thought of writing a novel, a post-apocalyptic novel, like this?

Fiction requires a certain degree of suspension of disbelief; this latter, though it can be powerful, is nowhere near powerful enough explain why even a significant portion of a planet's population would jump up at the same time, let alone travel from all over the planet to do so in one place.

And why would anyone want to read a novel about a planet whose whole population is made up of idiots?

 

[Dozmonic]

That happens in most movies, though

 

[Ursa major]

I agree that the plots of many (far too many) films seem to be driven by the idiotic actions of one or two characters. But billions of them? And without exception?

 

[Kylara]

I was going more with an alien race wanting a new tv programme teleporting everyone to the same place at the same time (jumping is optional) and then watching the outcome...

 

[Dozmonic]

There's bound to be exceptions, but that's not relevant to the said story so wouldn't be mentioned. We see in the terrible movie Skyline that people are mindlessly drawn to their death by pretty CGI effects while aliens are inexplicably attacking everything but have some rabid aversion to water (I think, I can't remember much except there was something the aliens hated that wasn't explained).

 

[Ursa major]

Thus just what we need: some more terrible novels to go with those terrible films.

 

[Dozmonic]

It'd work as a comedy

 

[Venusian Broon]

There's bound to be exceptions, but that's not relevant to the said story so wouldn't be mentioned. We see in the terrible movie Skyline that people are mindlessly drawn to their death by pretty CGI effects while aliens are inexplicably attacking everything but have some rabid aversion to water (I think, I can't remember much except there was something the aliens hated that wasn't explained).

Are you not thinking about the M. Night Shyamalan 'classic' Signs ?
Where aliens are generally not seen, which is good because they are stumped by doors and can't open them, so that saves the director filming them; and can't handle water.

Which seems odd to invade a world that has two thirds of it's surface covered in, erm, water and an atmosphere pretty much saturated in the stuff.

Britain would be pretty much well nigh impossible to invade by these idiots.

 

[Ursa major]

Perhaps the Signs aliens had trouble programming their... er... jump gates with the correct destination.

 

[Boneman]

Are you not thinking about the M. Night Shyamalan 'classic' Signs ?
Where aliens are generally not seen, which is good because they are stumped by doors and can't open them, so that saves the director filming them; and can't handle water.

Which seems odd to invade a world that has two thirds of it's surface covered in, erm, water and an atmosphere pretty much saturated in the stuff.

Britain would be pretty much well nigh impossible to invade by these idiots.

It WAS a brilliant comedy - they had the technology to cross galaxies, but not (apparently) the nonce to wear a raincoat...

 

[Cayal]

Are you not thinking about the M. Night Shyamalan 'classic' Signs ?
Where aliens are generally not seen, which is good because they are stumped by doors and can't open them, so that saves the director filming them; and can't handle water.

Which seems odd to invade a world that has two thirds of it's surface covered in, erm, water and an atmosphere pretty much saturated in the stuff.

Britain would be pretty much well nigh impossible to invade by these idiots.

The world was fooled by Aliens who, in the end, can't handle oxygen and it's considered a classic story.