Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Dance the Apocalypso

I just found out that if a Chicxulub-size impactor were to fall in Corvallis, no one south of Panama would be directly harmed by the blast. Most everyone in North America, though, would face at least second degree burns. Sadly, since the precise location of "Corvallis, Oregon" appears to be about two blocks from my apartment, even the smallest blast (Little Boy, 15 kt) this simulator offers would be lights out for Lockwood. Fun, grim humor. Let's see... who's next?

5 comments:

Dean Wormer said...

I wonder if the Russians or Chinese have bothered to target Corvallis. Probably the closest city would be Salem, but I'm just guessing.

You could wind up ruling the state!

Lockwood said...

The father of a college buddy was in the air force; up until the late seventies there was an AF command bunker near Camp Adair (now Adair Village) just north of town. That has been closed and decommisioned. I know there used to be a major radar installation on Flat Top Mountain, the next major peak south of Marys Peak; I don't know its status. So there used to be major targets in the area; the only thing possibly left is HP- and the Corvallis facility just does printers and R&D. I think we're OK.

In his book "The Postman" (never saw the movie) David Brin does postulate Corvallis as the seed of a reborn civilization. In his currently popular series, S.M. Stirling sets Western Oregon as the scene of re-emerging civilization; Corvallis is a major player. I DO NOT recommend this series unless you're really into the Society for Creative Anachronism. Brin's book is quite good.

Dean Wormer said...

That's interesting. After reading this post initially I actually googled looking to see if the Russian/ Chinese ICBM targets in Oregon were available and couldn't find them. I could've sworn I'd seen a map at some point that had U.S. cities highlighted but those could've been educated guesses, rather than what we officially know.

I must be crazy but I'm one of the only people that I know that enjoyed the film version of The Postman, Kevin Costner and all.

Along those lines I believe the upcoming film "The Road," also based on a book, tells a post-war story set in the Pacific Northwest or Canada.

Go Beavers!

Lockwood said...

You know, I kind of WOULD like to see that movie, just so I could make up my own mind. There are a number of movies generally panned that I kind of like (e.g. Dune). You just don't know until you actually see it for yourself. Haven't heard of "The Road," so time to fire up teh Google.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of apocalyptic books and Corvallis, I wonder if you've read S.M. Stirling's Dies The Fire? Corvallis plays a big part in the series. With your "What I'm good for" section @ right, I'm sure the eaters in the book, would love you!