Would you have any idea on how to preserve food if you didn’t have a fridge?

I could use a freezer:) Jk, not entirely no, but I’m aware of other methods, given a bit of time I could probably learn how to pickle or salt and jar food properly provided I could visit the library. I understand the key problem is harmful bacteria so refrigeration extends the lifespan of food by slowing down bacterial reproduction and airtight containers prevent new bacteria coming in.

Then depending on specifics there’s always vacuum-sealing and shrink-wrapping machines. If in this hypothetical collapse we still have knowledge and some way to generate electricity, and I wasn’t in a crazy rush, I’d probably build a fridge. I understand the basic principle behind refrigeration.

Would you have any idea on even how to get food if you didn’t have a grocery store nearby?

Yeah? If there’s like societal collapse or something and there’s not just food banks set up by the military or some such I’d go look for warehouses, I know I have the nation’s biggest Amazon warehouse just a few blocks down from me. If not an option, generally I’d hunt animals because on my own I don’t really stand a chance at agriculture, the large lead time won’t help, I don’t know how to hunt, but I’m sure by visiting the library I could learn how to craft a primitive spear with a knife and a sharp stick. Then long-term I’d move towards a saltwater body of water and fish.

How would you organize a party with your friends without a phone?

I’d use a computer ))))

Jk, I could write them a letter, or visit them in person. I don’t know all their addresses by heart, but I could ask others who do, or simply wander about the general area and knock on doors until I find them.

If a computer wasn’t tracking your bank balance, how would you keep track of your money?

I would write down my income and outgoings on a piece of paper and just do the math.

Can you multiply 423 by 365 without using a calculator?

Of course. I’m awful at math so I’ll probably mess it up, but you write down the nominator over the denominator and you multiply each of the top digits by each of the bottom digits, carry any extra to the next more significant digit and sum the results.

If I did it a few times, I could probably nail the correct result.

If all else fails and this is absolutely needed I could go get spare parts and build a full-adder circuit. Heck tbqh in the long term if all my basic needs were met, I could probably deep dive into a book and build a computer, especially if we’re basically talking only programmatic calculation, given 7-8 months it’s not hard, maybe much less if I can use logic gates instead of ICs. If I can use OCs and have plastic and some metal bits lying around making a breadboard shouldn’t be too hard. It won’t host the cloud or do your laundry, but it’ll do your math pretty accurately.

My point isn’t to show off, my point is that we (humanity) hedge our bets. There’s one thing we haven’t outsourced and it’s our thinking. I used to be vehemently pro-AI, but it worries me that people are outsourcing their very thought to AI.

The brain is very expensive evolutionary, and I for one, love having one, you use it or you lose it is the motto for the body, brain included, and I take great care to force myself to think on my own and understand things in as much depth as is reasonable.

Once you forget how to think and solve problems because another faux-brain does it for you, it’s all over, and there’s no going back. Don’t do that y’all.