5 ms·
This reminds me of an excellent series of lectures I once attended about how you can't have practical skyscrapers without inventing the elevator, you can't have
by mjd 1y ago
This reminds me of an excellent series of lectures I once attended about how you can't have practical skyscrapers without inventing the elevator, you can't have practical automobiles without inventing the windshield wiper, and you can't have practical electric lighting without inventing a whole lot of power generation and distribution technology, or efficient vacuum pumps.
Every big invention depends on hundreds or thousands of other ones you don't hear as much about.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago> you can't have practical electric lighting without inventing a whole lot of power generation and distribution technology Didn’t lighting cause power generation and distribution?
- zdragnar 1y agoSure, but it starts with the impractical version to kick off the other side. The hearthstone house demonstrated the value of a central power source homes could draw from. The electric lights at the time were not much better than candles in terms of output, but it generated interest enough to get more people on board. Now, electric lighting is present everywhere, and a practical solution for all but mass agriculture (where the sun remains more efficient).
- amflare 1y agoYou need to be able to distribute power to an area more than once
- ACCount37 1y agoBefore there was technology for power generation and distribution at scale, "you can use electricity to make light" was a mere curio. Fit to be showcased at fairs, but not something that could be put to practical use. The first arc lights were made in early 19th century - not long after the invention of voltaic pile made electric power readily obtainable in a lab. But it wasn't until late 19th century that arc lights began to be used as street lights. Why? Because dynamos and alternators didn't exist in early 19th century. They only became usable for industrial power generation in the late 19th century. Only when both power generators and arc lights were viable, electric lighting became practical. And electric lighting becoming practical has, in turn, caused electric power to be deployed at an ever-increasing scales, and spurned further investment into electric light, generators and transmission line technology. The invention of incandecent lights fit for household use and the war of the currents were both downstream from better power generation technology.
- jasonwatkinspdx 1y agoWell also, at least in the US, electric lighting had to be better than gas before it took off. My 1905 house still has pipes for gas lighting in the ceilings.
- LargoLasskhyfv 1y ago> The first arc lights were made in early 19th century Possible objection: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendera_light#Fringe_interpretation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendera_light#Fringe_interpret...
- koverstreet 1y agoThat was good for a chuckle
- CGMthrowaway 1y ago> you can't have practical skyscrapers without inventing the elevator There are a ton of apartments in China, Hong Kong and Singapore exceeding 10–20 floors or more without a single functional elevator. Skyscrapers have more to do with steel framing technology than peoplemoving. Regardless, elevators have existed from 200BC and you can see one in the movie Gladiator >you can't have practical automobiles without inventing the windshield wiper Streetcars operated for 20+ years at speeds up to 30mph with no wipers. You would just open one half of the windshield. Or use water-repellent glass coatings (similar to today)
- RandallBrown 1y agoI would bet most of those skyscrapers at least used some sort of elevator in their construction, even if there's only stairs for the occupants. Streetcars aren't really what I would think of as a "practical" automobile today since you can only take them on predefined routes.
- Dylan16807 1y agoPulleys and cranes will easily do everything you need for construction. Elevators aren't even that good for construction, because so much needs to be built to get them working.
- jagged-chisel 1y agoWhere is the line between “a pulley and a platform” and “an elevator”?
- vishnugupta 1y agoI guess it’s the ability to arrest a sudden drop.
- devoutsalsa 1y agoImagine living on the 20th floor or higher and having a broken ankle.
- pstuart 1y agoWhich in turn reminds me of the excellent series Connections, by James Burke. It's science and inventions all the way down ;-)
- renox 1y ago> you can't have practical automobiles without inventing the windshield wiper Sure, but remember that some wipers were "hand activated".