Doomsday ChestsProject brief v1.2, 22/07/09 |
"‘Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: Too late.'" - Dr. Martin Luther King Junior |
|
The Chests are intended to have two modes of distribution, top-down and bottom-up, in three models of production. A limited number of museum-quality, beautifully wrought Chests will be produced for storage in several of the world's major cities. The manufacture of such chests will be of the highest specification, built of the most durable and beautiful materials available. These Flagship Chests will contain complete copies of all Knowledge sheets and are intended to reside in museums, churches, or state capitals; places of obvious value and supreme symbolic importance. It will be more likely that subsequent generations will uncover and value the Flagship chests if found in these locations. An additional series of complete chests will also be produced, with a focus on durability and affordability. These will be produced in greater number and distributed in secondary population centres and more remote areas, such as monasteries, mountain tops and areas of extraordinary natural beauty or significance. The placement of these Chests is intended to maximize the likelihood of their discovery and survivability, if for example all the Flagship Chests in the world's capitals were destroyed in a nuclear war. These chests will also be of the highest production quality, but without the additional aesthetic and decorative elaboration of the Flagship Chests. Finally, all the plans and production specifications would be published online, in an open-source, bottom-up fashion. This would thus allow any community, anywhere in the world, to produce their own Doomsday Chest with their own local knowledge and concerns. If possible, rotating loans would be provided for the construction of such Community Chests, and core elements could be purchased such as the frame of the Chest, inscribed or blank steel sheets, etc. In this way, the core of human knowledge shall be preserved and the seeds of a new Renaissance can be laid. |
|