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Yeah, I thought that was all kind of funny too. I'm a voracious reader, and have been curious about just about all parts of science and technology at some poin
by ansible 10y ago
Yeah, I thought that was all kind of funny too. I'm a voracious reader, and have been curious about just about all parts of science and technology at some point. So I too knew at least the basics for everything he mentioned. Magically plop me in a stone-age agrarian society, and we'd be back to at least an 18th-century level of technology in a couple decades.
- schoen 10y agoThere were some science fiction stories (I forgot their names and authors) in which time travelers actually encounter a lot of practical difficulties in past societies, because the people they encounter don't believe them or don't readily see the benefits of their suggestions. So maybe you need to add "a stone-age agrarian society that's eager to take advantage of my knowledge", since that part can't necessarily be taken for granted. :-)
- ansible 10y agoYup. And you need a common language, so that may take a while. Some simple stuff like crop rotation, composing, irrigation (if needed in that climate), should be some easy wins though. And then it would be on to making iron, glass and other basic building materials. It is more likely that I'd just die of something stupid though, like bears.
- majewsky 10y agoThis. I just saw a documentary about famous inventions yesterday. They talked about how when Alexander Graham Bell conceptualized the telephone, most investors said "Why should we ever need this? We can already transmit speech with telegraphs." I guess the same effect amplifies the more absurd or outlandish the proposed technology appears.
- gonvaled 10y ago> Magically plop me in a stone-age agrarian society, and we'd be back to at least an 18th-century level of technology in a couple decades. Execution is key! That you know how it works does not mean you can successfuly build it!