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>>Technological change has a tendency to look inevitable in retrospect – “It steam-engines when it’s steam-engine time.” You would think so. But basically all
by yaix 15y ago
>>Technological change has a tendency to look inevitable in retrospect – “It steam-engines when it’s steam-engine time.”
You would think so. But basically all parts of the steam engine where invented in Roman times (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_technology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_technology). Unfortunately, the empire collapsed before anybody found the time to put the parts together. If they had, we would... well, something.
- tomjen3 15y agoEven earlier than that actually - the Greeks had both the differential gear and the steam engine. There is pretty much nothing technological that would have prevented Athens from destroying its opponents with steam powered tanks several centuries B.C. Plus at the time the standard tactic would be a deep phalanx, which would have been absolutely smashed by a tank driving over it.
- pavel_lishin 15y agoHas anyone written an alternate history novel along these lines?
- jacques_chester 15y agoI happen to host the blog (among others) of an author who has written just such a novel: Bring Laws and Gods. It should be released some time this year. http://skepticlawyer.com.au/tag/bring-laws-and-gods/ http://skepticlawyer.com.au/tag/bring-laws-and-gods/ The historical point of departure is that Archimedes of Syracuse was captured, not killed, and brought back to Rome.
- pavel_lishin 15y agoCan you gently suggest to him that his blog is really hard to navigate? I can't even figure out where to find information about the book.
- jacques_chester 15y agoIt's a 'her'. Helen Dale. I linked you to a blog category page; there's no "brochureware" as yet.