http://www.atomic-robo.com/2007/12/07/out-of-place-artifacts/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:21:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.atomic-robo.com/2007/12/07/out-of-place-artifacts/comment-page-1/#comment-9063 DJD Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:57:04 +0000 http://www.mechapolis.com/?p=199#comment-9063 God I love this stuff. Unfortunately I've been too far from it to make any intelligent comment, but I appreciate the informed and interesting presentation (especially of Tesla, who is, without a doubt, the man) of such a cool topic. I'm going to be starting my Physics major next year, so hopefully I'll be able to justify spending more time learning about this cool stuff. Thanks for the awesome and insightful post! God I love this stuff. Unfortunately I've been too far from it to make any intelligent comment, but I appreciate the informed and interesting presentation (especially of Tesla, who is, without a doubt, the man) of such a cool topic. I'm going to be starting my Physics major next year, so hopefully I'll be able to justify spending more time learning about this cool stuff. Thanks for the awesome and insightful post!

]]> http://www.atomic-robo.com/2007/12/07/out-of-place-artifacts/comment-page-1/#comment-8503 DJD Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:57:04 +0000 http://www.mechapolis.com/?p=199#comment-8503 God I love this stuff. Unfortunately I've been too far from it to make any intelligent comment, but I appreciate the informed and interesting presentation (especially of Tesla, who is, without a doubt, the man) of such a cool topic. I'm going to be starting my Physics major next year, so hopefully I'll be able to justify spending more time learning about this cool stuff. Thanks for the awesome and insightful post! God I love this stuff. Unfortunately I've been too far from it to make any intelligent comment, but I appreciate the informed and interesting presentation (especially of Tesla, who is, without a doubt, the man) of such a cool topic. I'm going to be starting my Physics major next year, so hopefully I'll be able to justify spending more time learning about this cool stuff. Thanks for the awesome and insightful post!

]]> http://www.atomic-robo.com/2007/12/07/out-of-place-artifacts/comment-page-1/#comment-7639 Astramentous Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:52:15 +0000 http://www.mechapolis.com/?p=199#comment-7639 To further illistrate this point, look up "Archimedes Mathematical book). Written over 2000 years ago and only about 3/4s of the way transcribed today, it was already dealing with mathematics as advanced as Calculus, Discrete math and Abstract Algebra. It spent most of its long life in a catholic church library, where it was written over once. It this book had been spread around and read, it isn't hard to believe that we'd be another 1000 years further up the technological ladder. To further illistrate this point, look up “Archimedes Mathematical book). Written over 2000 years ago and only about 3/4s of the way transcribed today, it was already dealing with mathematics as advanced as Calculus, Discrete math and Abstract Algebra. It spent most of its long life in a catholic church library, where it was written over once. It this book had been spread around and read, it isn’t hard to believe that we’d be another 1000 years further up the technological ladder.

]]> http://www.atomic-robo.com/2007/12/07/out-of-place-artifacts/comment-page-1/#comment-11155 Astramentous Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:52:00 +0000 http://www.mechapolis.com/?p=199#comment-11155 To further illistrate this point, look up "Archimedes Mathematical book). Written over 2000 years ago and only about 3/4s of the way transcribed today, it was already dealing with mathematics as advanced as Calculus, Discrete math and Abstract Algebra. It spent most of its long life in a catholic church library, where it was written over once. It this book had been spread around and read, it isn't hard to believe that we'd be another 1000 years further up the technological ladder. To further illistrate this point, look up “Archimedes Mathematical book). Written over 2000 years ago and only about 3/4s of the way transcribed today, it was already dealing with mathematics as advanced as Calculus, Discrete math and Abstract Algebra. It spent most of its long life in a catholic church library, where it was written over once. It this book had been spread around and read, it isn’t hard to believe that we’d be another 1000 years further up the technological ladder.

]]> http://www.atomic-robo.com/2007/12/07/out-of-place-artifacts/comment-page-1/#comment-5618 Blake Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:32:38 +0000 http://www.mechapolis.com/?p=199#comment-5618 This is rather late to comment, but yeah, I completely agree. I mean, I don't think that anybody ever built a moving pyramid, and it is doubtful that they ever developed a waterclock program, but it isn't TOO far-fetched. It remains within the realm of 'reasonable science fiction.' People have always been good at doing a lot with what they had. In fact in many ways the fact that we have access to so much technology sort of boxes in our thinking. When we want to get something done, we gravitate towards the easiest method (which is human nature). However, for us the easy way usually involves technology. For people in the past this wasn't so. As an example, think about how few people today would be able to make a fire in the wilderness compared to 500 years ago. So I think it is completely reasonable to think the Egyptians figured out ways to build the pyramids and that the ancient Greeks figured out how to make mechanical computers (more like calculators, probably: it seems unlikely that they were programmable). This is rather late to comment, but yeah, I completely agree. I mean, I don't think that anybody ever built a moving pyramid, and it is doubtful that they ever developed a waterclock program, but it isn't TOO far-fetched. It remains within the realm of 'reasonable science fiction.'
People have always been good at doing a lot with what they had. In fact in many ways the fact that we have access to so much technology sort of boxes in our thinking. When we want to get something done, we gravitate towards the easiest method (which is human nature). However, for us the easy way usually involves technology. For people in the past this wasn't so. As an example, think about how few people today would be able to make a fire in the wilderness compared to 500 years ago. So I think it is completely reasonable to think the Egyptians figured out ways to build the pyramids and that the ancient Greeks figured out how to make mechanical computers (more like calculators, probably: it seems unlikely that they were programmable).

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