Over the weekend I watched a show that reviewed ancient technology and how
long it had taken to become apart of daily lives. The Egyptians had
'computing machines' that calculated the movements of the planets, etc. The
statement that fascinated me was not about the technologies but the
cultures where they were developed. It seems that the success of a
technology is due to how the people living during its development feel
about technology rather than a need or use.
If the masses accepted and sought advanced technologies, then more were
developed but when there existed opposition to new ideas then a 'dark age'
appeared and development ceased and many ideas were lost...some forever. A
computer, a battery, differential gearing, etc. all existed some 2000+
years ago but most have only been made widely available within the last 100
years.
Where will RP&M be 2000 years from now?
Elaine
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Opinions, suggestions, and other controversial matter VOID where prohibited.
******************************************************************
Elaine T. Hunt, Director
Clemson University Laboratory to Advance Industrial Prototyping
206 Fluor Daniel Bldg. Clemson, SC 29643-0925
864-656-0321 (voice) 864-656-4435 (fax)
elaine.hunt@ces.clemson.edu
http://chip.eng.clemson.edu/rp/persall/elaine.html
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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