New NESes, ideas, development, etc

Maybe a pre World war I or WW II NES...
 
On the Modern Fresh Start idea, what if it was set in a near-future scenario where almost everything was digitalized, the education system, the voting system, the media etc. The Gutenburg Project sucessfully digitialized every book and all literature was either relegated to mere decoration or was locked away in government safes in case some doomsday happened.

Then all you need is some kind of MASSIVE EMP or some Anarchist Digital World destroying computer virus that erases all the data and fries computers. I like that way better since then you still have cars, factories, tanks, boats etc, but you have plausible explaination for loss of civilization and anything but local government. You fast forward 3-4 Generations and BAM! you start the fresh start.
 
Not really, since virtually all major government institutions (of the major governments; eg: NORAD) are EMP hardened to resist nuclear war (which would produce a much greater number of them than any terrorist or even a dedicated device [which itself would likely be nuclear] could hope to generate). Similarly, most of their systems are isolated (or can be isolated) from the larger global networks. They'd have a rough go of it but they could stilll communicate and control, and seeing as how political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, that is all they need.

You aren't likely to overthrow a government (or see it topple) unless it's extraordinarly weak(ened) to begin with. EMPs and computer viruses tend to screw the populace, not the government. If a soldier sticks an M-4 or an AK-74 in your face and tells you to do something, I don't think you'll particularly care whether or not he can drop a cluster bomb down your chimney (not that GPS would go down in either event).

It's a better approach to go the opposite route and find a way to disable government rather than the infrastructure it rules. The problem is that way tends to disable the infrastructure too. But it definitely creates an anarachic situation. Going the other way just creates a situation where governments are, if anything, even more in control (possessing the only working infrastructure, military forces, etc).

[EDIT] Oh, yeah, and it goes without saying that most cars, planes, boats, tanks, etc., all rely on computer control these days, as does a very large percentage of oil exploration and production. So you'd be dropping back to vintage early Cold War technology if you went the EMP route (which is the stronger of the two).
 
Do you have any idea how easily it is to protect yourself from EMP? Look up faradays cage, then look at the iron/cage like things they put into cement to support them (for buildings etc). (ok ok its not going to work but it would just require a bit of tweaking and your done).
 
Meh, I'll try a Fresh Modern World start, from real events. ;)

Global Warming has taken it's toll. In 2013, the ice caps have turned mostly back into water. Several area in the world are flooded. New Orleans's levees were breached in two days. The Mississippi River was soon polluted. Industrial wastes contaminated 78% of our drinkable water. Crops failed, due to either overraining, or droughts. Wheat has failed. Rice has failed. North Korea sees this as the final opportunity to strike. Using several missiles, they strike at Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. Two fail, as the guidance systems are faulty. They were aimed at Washington and New York. The USA has retaliated with a huge bombardment of North Korea. They were struck with extreme conditions, with the North Korean population dropping to 600,000. Soon, the rest of the few missiles left were launched. Edo, San Fransisco, Seattle, and Miami were hit. Although North Korea was effectively destroyed, it pulled down the United States with it. The governmental attempts were worsened during the new Cuban revolution. Castro was killed, and his sons were vying for power. One of his sons decided to start up a government in America. Cuban paratroopers began to rain over Miami. They took over the ruins. Europe's economy was in confusion as the United States fell. The European Union was hit with inflation . Now, several countries erupted into civil war, much like before WW2. After many years of fighting, in 2031, all problems were ended, by a meteor. (The meteor is based on one my teacher told us about. Look it up on NASA) The meteor hit the Atlantic. However, it broke into 3 parts. One of the others landed in the Pacific, while the last hit Iran. Mass destruction like no other. Now, the ice caps melted. Little life is sustainable in this post-nuclear/apocalyptic world. Few remnants of humans survive, perhaps 2,000. Now, you will lead those people back to civilization......
 
Hey, look, something else completely preposterous. What fun.

Three things, among dozens, are wrong with that scenario. Firstly, North Korea is situated on a peninsula, meaning it will feel the effects of any flood much worse than a continental body. There is no way, short of an asteroid impact or a volcanic venting event comparable to the Siberian or Deccan Traps, that the caps would melt that quickly. And lastly, ignoring the fact that North Korean missiles are incapable of lofting nukes, or of doing so for the forseeable future, should North Korea for some reason attack the United States (which is itself stupid, as it would just attack South Korea directly instead) then there would be nothing left of North Korea to counterattack an initial American strike, nor would the American arsenal be anywhere near depleted from the effort.

[EDIT] Oh, yeah, and Cuban paratroopers. That's a pretty good joke right there. Like Ugandan ICBMs. :p Radioactive ruins are a high priority for military occupation, too. How do you come up with this stuff?
 
I'd also like to point out that Castro's sons are in their 50's now, and will be in their 60's and 70's in 2013. I doubt they're going to be leading revolutions then.
 
Neverminding the number of near-misses and miscalculations of things they have supposed might strike the Earth. Even if a particular NEO has a very large probability of striking the planet at some given point in the future, it's precisely that: a probability.
 
So what? Even something that big can have its course altered by a few dozen rocket motors the size of soda cans, given enough time, let alone bombarding it with a few hundred nuclear warheads or any other number of methods. I also see no evidence of any sort, links or otherwise. Just because somebody tells you something doesn't mean anything. If your teacher told you the universe was really administered by tiny pink unicorns, and not subatomic particles, would you believe them? An NEO impacting Earth is a possibility. It will happen, eventually, should we not be bothered or able to stop it. But saying "Oh, this rock will 100% guaranteed hit the Earth on this date," when that date is not anytime near is strictly fallacious.

Oh, yeah, and the including a winking smiley thing with every post? As if it was somehow ironic? That's really quite annoying.
 
NASA said:
Computations made earlier this week by a group of international experts suggest that the object 2000 SG344, has a remote 1 in 500 chance of impacting the Earth in 2030.
This makes it any different from the examples I just posted how? 1:500 odds won't get you very far in Vegas, and by no means guarantee an event.
 
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