3 ms·

Incredible. Sometimes it seems like we were more advanced in the past.

phyzome 3y ago
Where do you get that from? We still come up with crazy designs all the time (that are rejected in favor of robustness, compatibility, etc.)
- JKCalhoun 3y ago
  The crazy designs from 100+ years ago though were more impressive though because of the limitations imposed from not yet having electronics, computers, software.... They had to be incredibly clever mechanically. I too was impressed from the video the way the guy iterated in clever ways to address issues that came up. And, as I say, iterated within a relatively narrow realm of options. Ads a counter-example, I watch hobbyists on YouTube these days that build and fly various R/C contraptions that would not have been do-able in the days of small gasoline engines and huge, heavy radio receivers. It's like today you can take a sheet of foam from Lowes, strap on some high efficiency brushless DC motors, double-sticky-tape on an ESC, receiver and be flying that sheet of foam by the afternoon. Too easy.
- FrustratedMonky 3y ago
  There must be enough people that were similarly amazed and/or fascinated to vote it to front page. Maybe my phrasing was not to your liking. I'm sorry you've lost your sense of wonder.
  - phyzome 3y ago
    Are you kidding? I freaking love this invention. I just don't think it's evidence for some kind of civilizational decline.
    - FrustratedMonky 3y ago
      "civilizational decline" OH. Didn't realize that is how you took it. That was not my intent. What I really meant, is the old style 'mechanical controls' do seem very inventive compared to today, because todays world is so much 'electronic controls'. Some of these solutions from 100+ years ago, seem revolutionary now, because we have forgotten that 'method' of solutions. I am not sure current engineers could come up with some of the same "old-fashioned" solutions that worked 100 years ago. Maybe because we are so advanced now, that it is almost like "that knowledge is lost"? Could go on, it is a worry I do have about actual collapse. Lets say we lost power grid or supply chain disruption. It would be huge task for current engineers to figure out how to re-build things again, with old technology.
      - phyzome 3y ago
        Ah, I see what you're saying. I'm... not actually sure, though. There's a huge amount of recorded work to draw from, and just a larger number of people working on things. It might be that we're actually better off in our collective ability to develop mechanical solutions even if the median talent in it among engineers is lower.
dudeinjapan 3y ago
It reminds me a bit of TRIZ thinking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ. It's not that we were "more advanced", it's just that Brennan had a clear-headed approach to use mix of elements (gyroscopes, differential/asymmetry, pneumatics)
- FrustratedMonky 3y ago
  yeah, these old mechanical control devices seem like a real life 'steam punk'.
samatman 3y ago
This is occasionally true, but that is very infrequent. The example I like to cite is swords. Despite swords playing no role in modern combat, modern swords (the real ones, not knockoff/costume swords) are of a higher quality, fit, and finish, than anything a knight or samurai would have been able to obtain. While being dramatically cheaper, in the sense that someone would have many fewer hours to work to obtain one. There are counterexamples of products which would have been cheaper at a given quality in the past, or readily available when they're difficult to obtain in the present. But once you rule out things made with ivory and whalebone, these are scarce indeed.

Where do you get that from? We still come up with crazy designs all the time (that are rejected in favor of robustness, compatibility, etc.)

JKCalhoun 3y ago
The crazy designs from 100+ years ago though were more impressive though because of the limitations imposed from not yet having electronics, computers, software.... They had to be incredibly clever mechanically. I too was impressed from the video the way the guy iterated in clever ways to address issues that came up. And, as I say, iterated within a relatively narrow realm of options. Ads a counter-example, I watch hobbyists on YouTube these days that build and fly various R/C contraptions that would not have been do-able in the days of small gasoline engines and huge, heavy radio receivers. It's like today you can take a sheet of foam from Lowes, strap on some high efficiency brushless DC motors, double-sticky-tape on an ESC, receiver and be flying that sheet of foam by the afternoon. Too easy.
FrustratedMonky 3y ago
There must be enough people that were similarly amazed and/or fascinated to vote it to front page. Maybe my phrasing was not to your liking. I'm sorry you've lost your sense of wonder.
- phyzome 3y ago
  Are you kidding? I freaking love this invention. I just don't think it's evidence for some kind of civilizational decline.
  - FrustratedMonky 3y ago
    "civilizational decline" OH. Didn't realize that is how you took it. That was not my intent. What I really meant, is the old style 'mechanical controls' do seem very inventive compared to today, because todays world is so much 'electronic controls'. Some of these solutions from 100+ years ago, seem revolutionary now, because we have forgotten that 'method' of solutions. I am not sure current engineers could come up with some of the same "old-fashioned" solutions that worked 100 years ago. Maybe because we are so advanced now, that it is almost like "that knowledge is lost"? Could go on, it is a worry I do have about actual collapse. Lets say we lost power grid or supply chain disruption. It would be huge task for current engineers to figure out how to re-build things again, with old technology.
    - phyzome 3y ago
      Ah, I see what you're saying. I'm... not actually sure, though. There's a huge amount of recorded work to draw from, and just a larger number of people working on things. It might be that we're actually better off in our collective ability to develop mechanical solutions even if the median talent in it among engineers is lower.

dudeinjapan 3y ago

It reminds me a bit of TRIZ thinking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ. It's not that we were "more advanced", it's just that Brennan had a clear-headed approach to use mix of elements (gyroscopes, differential/asymmetry, pneumatics)

FrustratedMonky 3y ago
yeah, these old mechanical control devices seem like a real life 'steam punk'.

samatman 3y ago

This is occasionally true, but that is very infrequent. The example I like to cite is swords. Despite swords playing no role in modern combat, modern swords (the real ones, not knockoff/costume swords) are of a higher quality, fit, and finish, than anything a knight or samurai would have been able to obtain. While being dramatically cheaper, in the sense that someone would have many fewer hours to work to obtain one. There are counterexamples of products which would have been cheaper at a given quality in the past, or readily available when they're difficult to obtain in the present. But once you rule out things made with ivory and whalebone, these are scarce indeed.