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Sure, the wheel was a great invention, but it seems such obvious technology
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:46 am
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:46 am
that it's hard to be impressed with its necessary mindpower.... sort of like discovering that fire can help keep you warm.
For my money, the invention of the alphabet is a more sublime human achievement. That unknown Phoenician who first realized that a sound could be represented with a scribble on a piece of parchment, and then that a group of scribbles could represent a word, and then that a string of those groups could represent an entire dialogue or story.... that stuff was never obvious, and that guy has my immense admiration.
For my money, the invention of the alphabet is a more sublime human achievement. That unknown Phoenician who first realized that a sound could be represented with a scribble on a piece of parchment, and then that a group of scribbles could represent a word, and then that a string of those groups could represent an entire dialogue or story.... that stuff was never obvious, and that guy has my immense admiration.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:47 am to Rex
quote:
more sublime human achievement
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:49 am to Rex
I would argue that Beer/Wine/Alcohol is the single greatest invention.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:51 am to TigerFred
I would argue that the greatest discovery in human history is the one simple trick to save thousands that insurance agents don't want you to know about.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:51 am to TigerFred
quote:
I would argue that Beer/Wine/Alcohol is the single greatest invention.
That was a discovery rather than an invention. Somebody left some grain out in the rain.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:54 am to Rex
quote:
that it's hard to be impressed with its necessary mindpower.... sort of like discovering that fire can help keep you warm.
For my money, the invention of the alphabet is a more sublime human achievement. That unknown Phoenician who first realized that a sound could be represented with a scribble on a piece of parchment, and then that a group of scribbles could represent a word, and then that a string of those groups could represent an entire dialogue or story.... that stuff was never obvious, and that guy has my immense admiration.
I'll give you one better. The Neolithic Revolution, the use of agriculture and domestication of animals, was much more important to the formation of civilization than the wheel.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:54 am to Rex
I don't get how it took until the 60s to invent drugs
Posted on 2/3/15 at 8:56 am to GreatLakesTiger24
quote:
I don't get how it took until the 60s to invent drugs
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:01 am to Rex
quote:
Sure, the wheel was a great invention, but it seems such obvious technology that it's hard to be impressed with its necessary mindpower.
That how come the wheel was never invented in the New World? They did not have that technology till the Europeans arrived.
This post was edited on 2/3/15 at 9:02 am
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:03 am to Rex
Must be a slow day for you over at the DUmp.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:05 am to constant cough
quote:
That how come the wheel was never invented in the New World?
Racist.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:09 am to Rex
Fire
I would say the wheel was also more of a discovery than a true invention. No one sat down and thought up the wheel. It was more of a progression from rolling things on a round rock.
Whoever put that wheel on an axle was the true inventor.
I would say the wheel was also more of a discovery than a true invention. No one sat down and thought up the wheel. It was more of a progression from rolling things on a round rock.
Whoever put that wheel on an axle was the true inventor.
This post was edited on 2/3/15 at 9:13 am
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:11 am to Rex
It wasn't the actual idea of a wheel but the production of the wheel that was so innovative.. The process isn't exactly easy even in today's society
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:13 am to TROLA
quote:
The process isn't exactly easy even in today's society
And that's why it was never a part of New World civilization.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 9:25 am to Rex
For me it's the our network systems. It amazes me how far it's come in the last 20 years.
From Wikipedia:
It's crazy, IMO, that this is the first generation that has ever had the capabilities to record history the way we can now.
Very few details of history will be "forgotten" from here on.
From Wikipedia:
quote:
In 1993, total Internet traffic amounted to approximately 100 TB for the year. As of June 2008, Cisco Systems estimated Internet traffic at 160 TB/s (which, assuming to be statistically constant, comes to 5 zettabytes for the year). In other words, the amount of Internet traffic per second in 2008 exceeded all of the Internet traffic in 1993.
It's crazy, IMO, that this is the first generation that has ever had the capabilities to record history the way we can now.
Very few details of history will be "forgotten" from here on.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 12:50 pm to DanW1
quote:
Very few details of history will be "forgotten" from here on.
Almost all books and photos are stored on computer now. If electricity ceased to exist, we'd lose a huge chunk of recent history.
Posted on 2/3/15 at 1:03 pm to Rex
quote:
And that's why it was never a part of New World civilization.
Nice try, Rex, but producing wheels wasn't the problem.
The New Worlders actually did have some concept of the wheel. You can find it on toys and trinkets dating back to pre-Columbian times.
The problem is that without large animals to domesticate in the New World, there's really not a lot of carts, chariots, etc. being built. So there's no progression up from initial discovery.
They just used sleds, rollers and human power instead.
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