Not quite, in order to have a technology you need methods, materials and society needs to be ready for the tech.
I recently learned that 50 years ago someone filed a patent for solar panels with more than 20% efficiency and the us government was like yeah its too revolutionary so you can’t sell this nor tell anyone about this unless it is US military. Imagine we all could have had >20% solar panels 50 years ago, even today we are only marginally above 20% efficiency.
Another example, would be the company who made the iPhone like device well before iPhone but the market wasn’t ready.
Another example that is fucked up. Governments are starting to restrict AI for consumers but also using AI to kill children in Gaza.
I’m pretty sure a lot early doctors were also burned at stakes because they were called witches or smth.
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 6 months ago
This is the real reason I follow the Primitive Technology channel. One of these days he’s going to make an arc welder out of mud and bugs.
Technus@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
I follow him too. People joke about him being a short way away from computers, but I think it’s a testament to just how far we’ve come as a species. Because even with the benefit of modern knowledge on the chemistry of the process, he’s kinda still stuck on figuring out how to scale out his iron production.
It also shows just how labor-intensive everything is without modern machinery, when it takes him several days of effort, from gathering and processing the raw materials, to making charcoal, building the kiln, and finally smelting the ore just to get a handful of pellets of pig iron.
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Jokes aside, you’re right. Progress is never easy, fast, or guaranteed and we truly are standing on the shoulders of many, many non-giants and there is still so much work to do. It’s humbling and awesome to contemplate.