I’m thinking either Bic lighters or cigarettes, just to trade

  • agent_nycto@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    Ok so some people are asking what type of apocalypse but I feel that’s mostly irrelevant because you said it’s a post apocalypse scenario. The apocalypse has already passed.

    So there’s kind of two options. One is where I would be the sole survivor on the planet, and the other is where there’s still pockets of survivors out there.

    Most post apocalypse situations involve other people surviving, so I’ll start there.

    You didn’t put a limiter on what the item could be, whether it had to be realistic or not, and how this supply would come to be. So I’ll give three answers, each with different degrees of what I’m assuming your intention behind the question is.

    The first would be an infinite supply of non tricky, non malevolent genie lamps. Infinite wishes baybee, this trumps pretty much everything.

    Something more fantastic but more reasonably grounded would be computers, with a complete set of data on human history, art, music, science and schematics, with instructions on how to rebuild society in a more equitable way, translated into all languages possible, with a pictogram of how to charge it up etched on the outside. Pass those suckers around, rebuild society, got infinite of them, everyone gets one and it has the windows space pinball from the 90s on it just for fun.

    But since you said lighters, to play with the idea of things that exist, I’m gonna go with tents. Probably those onion shaped ones that are designed to be permanent housing, or yurts. Sure water and food are important but without shelter you’re fucked, and I could house everyone.

    Now if it were an apocalypse where I’m the only survivor, I would want an infinite supply of one thing.

    BACKUP. GLASSES.

  • AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net
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    2 hours ago

    Beans. Not only about the most important food source, legumes are also natural nitrogen fixers for soil health.

  • CyberneticOwl@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    Potable water is good, perhaps wheat berries or ibuprofen would be good too.

    As for an unorthodox answer, I’m going to say survival guides. Most people have some idea of how they might survive, but it couldn’t hurt to have a resource to fill any knowledge gaps.

  • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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    3 hours ago

    Flour. Maybe rice. Something of that nature. The only alternative option that’s even close to food might be fuel, depending on the nature of the disaster.

    Water is everywhere outside of deserts, and there’s enough raw materials for a thinned population to recycle for a long time. Food and medicine is what separates the living from the dead, and medicine isn’t a single item. Edit: Although antibiotics or water treatment tablets are probably the closest approximation.

    Pleasantly surprised to not see more throwing star-type answers.

  • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    21 hours ago

    nobody has said rice or potatoes or anything like that. you’re all completely fucked

    also cum

  • Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    Milk, given an unlimited supply i won’t have to worry about it spoiling. Gives a decent amount of nutrients and water and can use it to make cheese or butter eventually, And is a life without cheese and butter really worth living?

    • snooggums@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      This really is it. Sure, a high water ratio soup would provide both nourishment and fluids for living, but basic clean water allows for cleaning and the ability to grow food or trade for other stuff.

      Plus truly unlimited means you can start your own river to help society recover!

    • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip
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      2 days ago

      If you are going that route: Rule of 3

      3 minutes without oxygen. 3 days without water. 3 weeks without food (I think it is also “3 hours without shelter” but that is a much more environmental factor and feels shoehorned in). And, depending on the apocalypse, clean air can be hard to come by.

      • DecaturNature@yall.theatl.social
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        2 days ago

        Yeah, obviously need the first that that will kill you. We take breathable air for granted. But if you need an infinite supply of clean air, you are probably dead anyway. An infinite supply of water has many uses beyond drinking and hygine – irrigation, power, and cooling come to mind as very useful post-apocalypse.

  • toddestan@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Electricity would be tempting. If you have access to water, you can boil it to make it safe. Run a refrigerator to store food. A convenient source of heat for cooking. Stay warm in the winter, stay cool in the summer. Lights for when it’s dark. Use power tools to build things. Listen to music, watch movies, play those old Nintendo games.

    Even after some time when your electronics break down and scavenging working ones gets tough, it’s not difficult to build things like simple resistive heaters. Making crude incandescent light bulbs wouldn’t be impossible either.