--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, "jmhcustomart2004" <a_change_of_plans@...> wrote:
>
> There sure is. A massive world-wide war started in 1412, initiated by the various governments placing restrictions on the number of offspring a family could have, a severe drought and crop destruction due to unusually large amounts of insects, and large groups of citizens grouping together to form factions to overthrow their country's governing bodies. The actual fighting lasted 5 years, but things didn't resume normalcy until 1475 or so. Millions died during the battles; between the loss of life (mostly males) and the previous offspring restrictions, the female population was greater than the male population.
>
> In the Caterwaul/Skunkworks world, it is currently 1754 (or 1755, I forget which). Despite the date, their civilizations are about 400 years ahead of ours.
>
> --JMH
>
Interesting and plausible. The evolution of technology isn't just driven by things; it's also held back by things. If the Romans had decided to do a little bit more work on Hero's invention of the stream engine than Caesar's army could have moved across the world on railways. They could have crossed the seas on paddle wheels. The development of a piston driven steam engine was within their capability. That was all that Hero's engine lacked; a piston. It used steam jets to spin around in place wasting energy. It needed a piston to capture the full power of the steam. If the Romans had taken the time just to finish that last step then the steam age would have happened more than a thousand years sooner. Everything that followed the steam age would have happened centuries sooner too. Columbus could have been the first person to plant a flag on Mars. The ancients were just as smart as we are; and just as dumb. They were slow about taking new ideas seriously enough to do anything with them. What would you like to bet that somebody looked at that engine and thought about using a piston but nothing was ever done about it? Why didn't we have people landing on Mars in 1980? The less people procrastinate; the faster technology evolves.
Edward Fox
Received on Sun Oct 10 2010 - 01:37:50 CDT